Utter Chaos
by IloveRossRikerandRydelLynchR5
Summary: WARNING: RATING HAS GONE UP TO M! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Jude, Tommy, and SME move in with Sadie and Kwest. Lots of Jommy fluff. Read on...
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a sequel to So Much for My Happy Ending. I decided to end that one, since I had nothing left to add to it, and start a new one, since I just felt like getting this out there. I don't know whether this will be a short fanfic or not, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens. And I won't be posting that often, just whenever I have the time, or whenever I come up with something. Enough said.

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters on it. If I did, Tommy and Jude would be together already.

Note: This chapter will be in Jude's perspective, but I'll probably switch it up occasionally to make it interesting.

Chapter 1: The Move

Tommy dropped me off at home to pick up a few things for my stay at Kwest's. He told me not to pack too much, since we could always swing by my place to get whatever I needed, but said as long as I didn't hog more than half the space, I was fine. That meant raiding my closet to find the best outfits, since I was going to be spending a lot of time in a confined space with 5 guys and my sister, so I needed to make sure I looked decent. I didn't need any reminders from Sadie about disgracing the Harrison legacy that she left behind (and that all the guys that went to school with her, and who were still around after she left, were more than happy to remind me of).

About a half hour later, Tommy grew impatient, and called up to me, "Do you always take this long to get ready?"

"You're one to talk," I shot back. "Don't whine to me about taking up so much of your time, Mr. I-Can't-Leave-The-House-Until-My-Hair-Is-Perfect-Even-Though-It-Takes-10-Hours."

Tommy let out a sound that was half-amused, half-insulted. Then I didn't hear anything until Tommy tried to push my bedroom door open. The key word here is tried, but it wasn't going to happen. Especially since clothes were scattered all over the floor, and most of it ended up in a heap by my door.

"Damn, girl, what you got back there?" Tommy said.

I decided to play around with him, and said, "What do you think I got?" as sexily as I could.

But Tommy wouldn't fall for it. "Come on Jude, I told Kwest we'd be there by now, so MOVE IT!" he bellowed.

"OK, OK," I muttered, annoyed. Minutes later, I'd stuffed everything in some luggages. "Who stuck up a rod up your a?"

Tommy poked his head around the door, and shook his head in disbelief. "Imagine what your parents would say if they heard you just now," he muttered loudly enough for me to hear. Then he spotted the luggages. His eyes grew as big as frying pans as he looked at the size of them. "You expect me to lug all of these downstairs and fit them into the back of my Viper? Couldn't you have fit it all in one duffel bag?"

I nodded silently at him as he looked at me pointedly. "Tommy, if you haven't noticed, I'm a girl. I don't want to wear the same clothes for weeks at a time, not like you guys do."

Tommy shrugged, and said, "Fine, whatever, can we go already?"

"Hey, watch it!" I said, as Tommy picked up the luggages and heaved them down the stairs.

After I saw the luggages fall into a messy pile at the bottom of the stairs, I said, "What's the hurry anyway?"

I noticed Tommy paused before responding. "No hurry, I just want to get over to Kwest's before he becomes a grandfather." Tommy joked. I didn't laugh. I wondered what he was up to.

We managed to get the luggages in the trunk and went over to Tommy's place to pick up some stuff. Tommy killed the engine, and just as I was about to get out, he said "Wait here, I won't be long."

Less than 5 minutes later, Tommy reemerged from his place, and held up his single duffel bag.

"Is that all you're packing? How'd you do that so fast?" I was at a loss for words.

"I'll never tell," Tommy said firmly. That is, until I gave him the look that I knew he couldn't resist. He caved like a cake in the oven when the door slams.

"OK, it's like this. I always keep a suitcase packed in case fans find out where I live. I learned to pack light and fast ever since I was in Boyz Attack. That way, if I was ever being chased by a mob of wild teenage girls, I wouldn't be trampled because I took an hour to get my stuff together." Tommy smirked, giving me one of his trademark Tommy Q look that he was famous for.

"Shut up and drive Quincy," I glared at him, while Tommy tossed his stuff in the trunk and got in the driver's seat.

The ride to Kwest's place was short, and Kwest and Sadie were there to greet us.

"Hey," Sadie remarked, walking over as Tommy pulled up and parked. Then she looked at her watch and frowned. "You got here fast." She looked at me, as if my expression explained it all.

"Don't look at me, ask Mr. We-Need-To-Get-Outta-Here-As-Fast-As-We-Can-Before-The-House-Explodes," Jude said sarcastically. Sadie just rolled her eyes, and said, "Come on in," as she put her arm around my shoulder and guided me inside. I heard Tommy mutter, "Not again…" as Kwest laughed and went to help him bring in our stuff.

A couple hours later, SME trooped in, luggages, guitars, and equipment in tow. They left their stuff in the hallway, and told Sadie what they wanted as Sadie ordered some pizzas, and dragged SME off with her to get some drinks for our impromptu party.

Tommy wasted no time, and as he started setting up the equipment in the spacious studio Kwest had ("All producers have one, you know. How else could they come up with such amazing songs in a short time?) , he ordered me to start tuning, since he said he wanted some semblance of a song by the time SME got back.

"What's the rush, Quincy?" I said. "Can't we wait until the guys get back?"

"No, you need to start now, before they get back and it turns into an all-out jam session that goes nowhere." Tommy was starting to get on my nerves again. Just when I thought I knew where he was coming from, he turns all producer on me.

Kwest looked at me sympathetically, before he asked Tommy, "Dude, what's up?"

Tommy groaned and said, "Not you too."

Kwest put up his hands in mock surrender, and said, "Hey, I'm just asking."

Tommy glanced at me, then whispered something to Kwest. Kwest nodded, then said, "Jude, uh, keep practicing, OK? There's something we gotta do, but we'll be back soon."

Now I knew something was up, and I was dying to find out what it was. Curiosity got the better of me, and I smiled as words began to fill my head. I grabbed a pencil and paper, and started scribbling furiously as a song slowly began to take shape.

AN: So, should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2

AN: There is no author's note, so HA! Made you look! Just joking, I'm in a really weird mood right now, so don't mind me. This chapter's going to be a little weird too, but I hope you like it anyway! And I'm going to pull some themes from last season's episodes, so I hope it sounds OK. I have the next few chapters written, and it's got a lot of humor in them. I can't give it to you all at once, so it'll give you something to wait for.

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters on it. If I did, Tommy and Jude would be together already. But I do own the song Into You, even though it doesn't always rhyme and it's cheesy. But hopefully most of you skip over the songs in fanfics anyway, so I won't have to worry now, will I?

Note: This chapter will be in Jude's perspective, but I'll probably switch it up to make it interesting. And Chapter 3 will be really short, but it'll set up the drama in Chapter 4.

Chapter 2: Settling In

_Sometimes I try and forget _

_All the things you said to me_

'_Cuz they mean nothing_

_Nothing at all. You see…_

_They just drift away_

_Like the clouds in the sky_

_Or the leaves in the wind_

_And they leave nothing behind_

_I'm sitting here, all alone again_

_Waiting for you to say you're wrong_

_But I know that you won't_

_So I'm writing this song_

_To say how I feel_

_To get it all out there_

_Before I lose myself_

_And I turn into you_

_I'm sitting here, all alone again_

_Waiting for you to say you're wrong_

_But I know that you won't_

_So I'm writing this song_

_To say how I feel_

_To get it all out there_

_Before I lose myself_

_And I turn into you_

I frowned in concentration as I looked over the words I'd written. I decided to dedicate this to all the men who'd hurt me in the past. First Shay, then Tommy, and my dad.

Just then, I heard Sadie and the guys come back.

"If you guys hadn't taken so long in choosing the toppings in the first place, then wrestling in front of OTHER PEOPLE while waiting for the pizzas, we wouldn't have been thrown out like that!" Sadie snapped at Speed, who looked just as upset as she sounded.

"We wouldn't have taken so long if you weren't so picky," Speed shot back. Putting on a high falsetto voice, he squeaked, "Excuse me, but I don't like spicy green peppers, they give me heartburn. And onions, you ask? Those make me break out in hives. Anchovies? Eww, no way! They're so gross! Way tooslimy and disgusting, if you ask me. Come to think of it, I don't want anything on there at all. Ham and bacon come from pigs, sausage comes from cows, and pineapples shouldn't be on pizza at all, they're a fruit. So I'll just stick with the crust. No cheese either, it'd make my thighs look huge…" He trailed off and grinned as Sadie glared at him while the guys laughed hysterically.

Sadie motioned for Kwest to say something, and he quickly wiped off the smile on his face before she could notice him.

"Hey, guys, enough, alright? My house, my rules." Kwest smiled, knowing they couldn't argue with him. They stopped and mumbled under their breaths, just loud enough for Kwest to hear. "You want to stay here, be nice to Sadie. Otherwise, I'll gladly toss you out on your asses. Got a problem with that?"

"Hey, what about me?" Tommy whined.

Kwest looked over and smiled at his best friend. "You never had a problem defending yourself before."

"Uh, Sir Kwest dude? Can we eat now? I'm starving?" Speed said, just as his stomach growled loudly.

"Yeah, let's all eat," Kwest said, motioning for everyone to follow him into the dining room. On the way, he whispered to Speed, "Don't ever call me that again, OK?"

Speed started laughing, then abruptly stopped when Kwest glared at him.

AN: So, should I continue?


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I think I've got the SME syndrome (lots of craziness). I really hope you like this chapter, I tried to make it a good one. But not much can be said about a meal, can there? Hence the shortness of this chapter. But don't worry, there's lots moreabout Speed and the guys (just wait until they get through the first night together!) I have a couple more chapters written, and I'll try and post the next chapter up sometime tonight. But only if youreview (ahem, coughing not so subtly ;o)! )

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters on it. If I did, Tommy and Jude would be together already. But I do own the plot.

Note: This is stillin Jude's perspective, and for now I think I'll leave it. OK, here's the next part. I hope you like it!

Chapter 3: Duels in the Dining Room…

During the meal, I could barely get any food down, since SME liked to play with their food so much. They launched veggie missiles into outer space, sprayed cola all over each other, and used their breadsticks to fight duels with one another.

Tommy called out, smirking at the hilarity of it all. "Uh, guys? Still playing with your food, huh? What are you, 5?"

Kwest was turning purpler by the second, while Sadie was busy grabbing napkins and wiping up the crumbs and mess, muttering out of the corner of her mouth, "This is never going to come out. I swear, I'm gonna kick those guys out if they keep this up much longer. I knew I never should have agreed to let them stay."

Thankfully, the nightmare was over. Or so I thought.

AN: See? I told you it was short. But don't worry, the next chapter will more than make up for it (I hope). Soooo, what do you think? Anyone?


	4. Chapter 4

AN: I really hope you like this chapter, I tried to make it a good one. This is to make up for the last chapter, so here you go. And I won't write any more chapters as short as Chapter 3 anymore. Next up: Speed and the guys' first night at Kwest's, not to mention Jude/Tommy moments. I'll try to write a few more chapters when I have time, but I don't know when I'll post. When I'm free, or when you review (ahem) (coughing not so subtly). OK, here you go!

Disclaimer: As if you don't know by now, I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters on it. If I did, Tommy and Jude would be together already. But I do own the plot.

Chapter 4: …and in the Studio

After the meal, it was back to rehearsing. Sadie came to watch as Kwest and Tommy took their positions at the soundboard.

"OK, Jude, come up with anything?" Tommy asked, knowing perfectly well he'd told me to write something, anything, before he got back.

"Yeah, I did," I said, glancing at Speed, Wally, and Kyle, who were off practicing in another corner of the room.

"OK, let's hear it," Tommy and Kwest got to work, as I sang my song. I barely got out two words when Kyle (AN: I think it's Kyle who's the drummer, but if I'm wrong, tell me. I always get Wally and Kyle mixed up), started drumming away. Then Speed and Wally started holding up imaginary microphones and singing at the top of their lungs, "Temporary Insanity, what's going on with you and me? Is it real, or is it fantasy? Forever, or just temporary?" They immediately cracked up and Wally jumped up on a sofa, and jumped off, knocking Speed and Kyle down with him. "MOSH PIT!" he yelled, getting up, and the three of them got up, and they all bumped chests repeatedly.

Tommy and I burst out laughing, while Kwest was trying to keep from smiling. "Is this what they were like on tour?" Kwest asked, trying to keep his laughter down.

"Worse," I said, still laughing as Kwest muttered, "Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into?"

Then Sadie bellowed, "GUYS!" SME turned around, and looked innocently at her.

"Dude!" Speed said, mocking her.

Sadie rolled her eyes, and said, "I want to hear Jude's song, so if I hear one more outburst from you…" She stopped as her face turned pale. "Oh God, I'm turning into Mom."

Kyle clutched his chest and gasped, "NOOOO! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" The guys cracked up again, and Kwest put his fingers in his mouth and whistled.

Again, silence. "Not another sound out of you three until Jude's song's done," Kwest growled. The guys looked serious as they nodded silently, and Kwest turned his attention back to me. "Anytime you're ready, Jude."

I sang the song I'd written before, and it was barely over before the guys started laughing and throwing spitballs at me. Then Kwest seemed to notice as he slowly turned around and his gaze fell on the stack of papers that SME was using for their arsenal.

"NOOOO!" Kwest gasped. Tommy instantly stood up and held Kwest back before he could attack them.

"Kwest, what is it?" I wondered. Judging from the look on his face, it had to be something important.

"My reports…for Georgia…She's gonna kill me…and it's ALL YOUR FAULT!" Kwest pointed at the guys, who suddenly turned white in fear.

"Sorry, Kwest, dude, we didn't know," Speed said, looking genuinely apologetic.

"Yeah, sorry," Wally and Kyle chimed in.

Kwest was speechless. Tommy turned to him and said, "Kwest, don't worry, I'll explain it to Georgia, OK? It'll be fine, she can always print it up again."

Kwest just stood there, shaking his head in response.

Sadie broke the silence, saying, "OK, guys, why don't you show me how to set up the amps?" She tried to distract them, hoping the tension in the air would fade away.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: OK, here it is: the long awaited chapter. I've been trying to post this for a few days now, but for some reason, it hasn't worked. Anyway, I hope you all like what I've written so far (I'm having the most fun time writing this!), and I'll keep trying to put in some Jude/Tommy moments, since I love them just as everyone else. OK, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star, blah, blah, blah…But I do own the plot.

Chapter 5: All Alone:

While Sadie was feigning interest in learning how to set up the amps, Kwest and Tommy were talking, and Jude was practicing on her guitar, even though she was really listening in

"Man, I don't know how much longer I can take this," Kwest whined. "They've been here only 3 hours, and already it feels like they've been here 3 hours too long."

"Man, don't you remember what it's like to be a kid?" Tommy said, his eyes darting over to SME and back to Kwest. "Remember the time we pulled that prank on D in London? How fun was that?"

"It was great, except D blew up at everyone and made our lives hell," Kwest shuddered.

"But has he ever found out who came up with the idea in the first place?" Tommy urged.

"Nah, it's one we'll take with us to our graves," Kwest laughed.

"There, you see, it's OK to live a little every once in a while," Tommy said. He leaned in and said quietly, "But don't tell Speed that. He thinks I'm just 'Lord Frowny Face', that I don't have a sense of humor."

Kwest laughed so hard that Speed looked in their direction, as if to figure out what they were saying. "Lord Frowny Face? I'll have to remember that one," Kwest smiled as Tommy shot him a dirty look.

"Dude, shut it. If I ever hear you call me that, I'll tell everyone that you still sleep with the same teddy bear that you did when you were 7," Tommy warned, smiling at Kwest's instant embarrassment

Kwest sputtered, "Dude, you wouldn't."

"Try me," Tommy challenged, knowing he'd won. Kwest did have some dirt on Tommy, but if everyone found out, it'd just make Tommy look even better, and Kwest knew it.

"But, that's a lie," Kwest stated the obvious.

"Maybe, but the public doesn't know that," Tommy said, knowing he'd won this round…again.

"Fine," Kwest huffed, folding his arms and looking grumpy

Kwest, Tommy, and Jude covered their ears as an earsplitting noise came out of the amps.

"Dude!" Speed said.

"I'm sorry!" Sadie said, quickly trying to adjust the knobs. The noises continued until Kwest stepped in.

"Here, let me," he said, and Sadie gladly stepped aside. Within a few seconds, Kwest had jiggled the knob, and the reverberations finally faded into silence.

"And by the way, my wife's name is Sadie, not dude," Kwest said firmly.

"Sorry, dude," Speed blurted out. Kwest shot him a menacing glance. "I mean, Sadie."

"Was he always like this when you dated him, Jude?" Kwest asked, fearing her response.

"Yup," Jude nodded. "And there was this one time, where Speed brought me to the park, and we were walking by this fountain, and I saw this picnic set up, with the blanket, the basket, the food, some candles, and everything was so beautiful, and Speed told me, 'back corner'. I didn't know what he meant, until Kyle threw me the ball, and I didn't realize I was in a football game until Wally tackled me."

"He did what?" Sadie screeched. "Jude, why didn't you tell me about this before?"

"It was nothing, it was just a shock since it was supposed to be touch football," Jude shrugged. She didn't want to get too much more into it, since that was right before the whole Mason thing, and she definitely didn't want Sadie to know about what had happened with him.

"Touch football? As in no contact, no tackling? Only grabbing the person's flag?" Kwest said pointedly at Speed.

"No, dude, touch football, get it? Touch football is where you're allowed to tackle people. Flag football is where you're supposed to grab their flags," Speed pointed out to Kwest. Tommy tried to conceal his laughter, since the way Speed was explaining it was just too funny.

"Uh, I think you got that backwards, dude," Kwest mimicked. "Touch football and flag football are the same thing. Right, T?"

"Don't look at me," Tommy held up his hands. "I'm just a producer."

"Hey, I've got a great idea, dudes," Wally said. "Why don't we go play a game right now? Sir Kwest dude, do you have a football we could borrow?"

"Yes, I do. And my name is not 'Sir Kwest dude', 'dude', or any phrase with 'dude' in it, it's just Kwest. Got it?" Kwest ranted, getting annoyed with the nickname the SME boys had given him.

"Got it dude, er, I mean, Kwest," Speed said. Kyle turned to Wally and said, "I swore I saw him in Medieval Knights: Dinner and Tournament once. His name even fits: K-w-e-s-t as in q-u-e-s-t."

Wally started laughing hysterically, as Kwest narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

"You man," Wally said, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I can't see you going around, riding a horse and wearing tights and a skirt." The SME boys all cracked up this time, as did Jude, Tommy, and Sadie.

"HEY!" Kwest objected. It only made them laugh harder. "Sades, I thought you were the only one I could count on."

"I am," Sadie replied, between fits of laughter. "But come on, just think about it. You…on a horse…wearing tights and a skirt…"

"It's a suit of armor, and no, I've never worked for them, and I'll never work for them. Now every time I hear the name Medieval Knights: Dinner and Tournament., I'll think about what you just said, and it's not an impression I want to remember."

Just then, Kwest's cell rang, and he picked it up without looking. The others were still laughing to themselves over the possibility of seeing Kwest in medieval drag.

"Yeah?" Kwest nodded, as the person on the other end was speaking.

"Kwest? Do you think you can come down to G Major? I'm really short-staffed right now, so if you can make it…" Georgia sounded anxious.

"Yeah, I'll be there ASAP," Kwest said, relieved to be getting away from SME for a little while.

Kwest hung up, then pulled Sadie and Tommy aside. "I have to go into the studio for a bit, but do you think you can keep an eye on SME for a little bit?"

"Sure," Sadie said, wrapping her arms around Kwest. She planted a kiss on his cheek, then said, "Just don't be too long, OK?"

"Tommy, man, I'm counting on you," Kwest turned, and looked at his best friend.

"I got your back," Tommy promised, just as Sadie winced. The guys had been throwing his football around, and they'd knocked over a vase that had been in the Harrison family for generations.

"Hurry back," Sadie said, gritting her teeth.

"I will. I hope I can get back before the house is demolished." Kwest said goodbye again and rushed out the door.

AN: What happens next? You decide...Tell me what you want, and I'll work it into the storyline.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star, blah, blah, blah…But I do own the plot.

Chapter 6: The Game:

"Go long!" Wally yelled. Speed and Kyle ran to the door, and opened it just as Wally threw it. Sadie grabbed it before it got very far.

"OK, guys?" Sadie said, calling a timeout. The guys groaned, instantly upset that their spur-of-the-moment football game had been disrupted. "I don't have a problem with you playing football, but not in the house, OK? Take it outside."

"But there's just 3 of us. We need an even number of people," Kyle said.

"Dude, wanna play?" Speed motioned to Jude. She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, but only if Sadie plays too. I don't want to be the only girl."

"Sadie, you in?" Speed gave Sadie puppy-dog eyes.

"OK," Sadie was up for anything, just as long as it was outside. She didn't want Kwest to have a heart attack after coming back to find his house utterly destroyed.

"Wait," Kyle said, "She can't play."

"Why not?" Wally said, confused.

"Because, dude, that makes 5. The only way we can play is if Tommy joins us."

"No way," Tommy automatically replied, as SME, Sadie, and Jude looked at him. "I'm not getting all up close and personal with you guys. Next thing you know, tomorrow's headline will read: Little Tommy Q gets tackled by the Harrison girls during a football game and is sent to the hospital in a full body cast."

All of them, except Tommy cracked up at his statement, while Tommy just looked grumpy as usual.

"OK, how about we vote?" Sadie said. She was really into freedom of choice. "Everyone who wants Tommy to play, raise your hand." Everyone except Tommy raised their hands. "OK, it's unanimous. Tommy, you're in."

"No, it's not," Tommy protested. "I'm not playing, so one of you will have to sit out."

"Tommy, come on. It'll be fun. You can be on Sadie and Wally's team, and I'll be on Speed's and Kyle's team. OK?" Jude batted her eyelashes at him, and Tommy melted.

"OK, OK. I'm in. Happy?" Tommy smiled as everyone cheered, and they moved the lounge chairs closer to the swimming pool to make more space.

"OK, your end zone will be right before the pool deck," Sadie told Tommy and Wally. "And your end zone will be over by those trees over there," she said to Jude, Speed, and Kyle. "OK, who's got a coin?"

"Here," Tommy said, taking a coin out of his pocket.

"Call it," Sadie said, tossing the coin in the air.

"Heads," Speed and Tommy said at the same time.

"OK, 2 out of three," Sadie said, a little impatient. "And this time, make sure you call different sides." Speed glared at Tommy, trying to psych him out. But Tommy looked completely unfazed.

Sadie tossed the coin again. This time, Tommy said "Heads" as soon as Sadie let go. "Tails," Speed said a split second later. They watched as the coin fell down to the ground, and everyone crowded around it.

"Heads it is," Sadie said, relieved that it was over. Everyone could already sense the tension in the air as all six of them headed towards their respective team members to huddle.

Once they broke, Speed walked up to Tommy. "Dude, you're going down."

"You first," Tommy replied, not blinking.

Jude looked at both of them.

Jude's POV: What's going on? Why are Tommy and Speed acting all up-in-your-face? Am I missing something here?

Sadie took her position across from Jude, as Kyle and Wally were too busy shoving each other playfully.

Jude watched as Tommy had the ball in his hand. He moved back, as Speed came at him, and threw it to Wally. Kyle lunged for the ball, but missed. Wally started running toward the goal, but just as Jude was about to trip him, Wally passed it back to Tommy, who had Speed right on him. Tommy took off running, with Speed zeroing in, and just as Tommy was nearing the goal line, Speed tackled him, causing Tommy to crash into a chair and the three of them landed in the pool with a gigantic splash.

Kyle, Wally, and Jude instantly cracked up, while Sadie rushed over to see if they were OK.

Tommy and Speed instantly surfaced, but the chair was soon forgotten as both of them were trying to hold one another under water.

"Speed, Tommy, stop," Jude cried. They both looked at her guiltily.

"Would you mind telling me what's going on?" Jude had had enough.

"Jude, I really don't think now's a good time to talk about this. Maybe-" Tommy began. Speed cut him off.

"No, Jude, maybe it's better that everyone find out," Speed said quietly. "Jude, you're my lead singer, but maybe it's time…" He trailed off as Tommy got out of the pool and went over to Jude.

"Uh, dudes?" Wally and Kyle were still in football-playing mode, so they hadn't noticed that their game had been put on hold.

"Time out," Sadie called, trying to distract them. She bent down and tossed the football rather badly to Kyle. "Can you show me how to throw this? I don't want to throw like a girl."

"Uh, dude, you are one," Wally said stupidly. Sadie rolled her eyes, but let his comment pass.

"Speed?" Jude prompted.

"Look, I know you're kinda into Tommy, but he's way older than you," Speed said.

Jude blushed as Tommy looked at her, amazed that anyone else found out about them.

"What if you went out with someone closer to your age?" Speed suggested.

"What, like you?" Tommy said, annoyed that they were even talking about this.

Speed didn't answer. Instead, he looked down at the ground.

"What? Speed, you like me?" Jude was floored.

For a long time, Speed didn't say anything. But then, he looked up, and Jude could see the determination in his eyes. "Yeah, but you're too wrapped up in your producer to notice anyone else crushing on you."

Now it was Jude's turn to be speechless. "Speed, I- I don't know what to say."

"I do," Tommy interrupted. "Jude, you know how I feel about you. Don't let one immature teenager win your heart. Why be with Speed when you can be with me? Besides, you saw what Yoko Ono did to the Beatles. There's a reason why the #1 rule for musicians is 'Don't date your bandmate.'"

"That goes double for producers," Speed warned.

"Dude, a lot of producers have crossed that line, and no one's had a problem with their relationships."

"Yeah, well, how many of those producers crossed that line with a girl who has another guy crushing on her? And just so you know, you said it yourself, there is a line. So don't cross it."

"Too late, dude," Tommy mocked. "I crossed it the first day I met Jude."

"You did?" Jude was stunned.

"Yeah, girl. I'll never forget it." Tommy said, gazing right into Jude's eyes.

"That's so sweet," Jude murmured, as Speed clutched his throat and pretended to gag.

"Dude, you can't be serious. She's not dating you, so technically, I could ask her out right now."

"Go ahead, I dare you," Tommy taunted. He felt confident that Jude and he had a strong enough relationship that would surpass any relationship Jude had with another guy.

"So Jude, will you go out with me sometime?" Speed asked, hope displayed all over his face.

"I…I don't know, Speed," Jude said uncertainly. "I need time to think." With that, she took off running into the house. Sadie saw her, and ran after her to comfort her.

"Great job, Speed," Tommy grinned wickedly. "I'm sure you'll have Jude all to yourself in no time." Tommy walked away, laughing evilly as Speed shot daggers at his back with his eyes.

AN: Who will Jude choose? And how will the other one deal? Review, and you'll find out soon enough. Maybe even sooner than you think.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Erin McKinley and Duddley111, your last reviews were soooo funny! I just have to go with your ideas. Tommy4eva and instantstarroxmysox, thanks for your comments! They really inspire me to keep writing. You guys rock!

Special Note to Erin McKinley: I love your evil laugh :o)! It totally cracked me up. And my mom was in the room, and she thought I was nuts, but enough about that.

Here's my latest chapter, and I hope everyone likes it.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't Instant Star or any of the characters. But I do own the storyline.

Chapter 7: Speed's Discovery:

"Dude, what's going on?" asked Kyle. He and Wally had been busy showing Sadie how to throw a perfect spiral.

"Nothing. I'm just sick of Lord Frowny Face, that's all," Speed grumbled. "He thinks he's all that, trying to steal Jude from me. If only I could get Jude's attention…" He paused, thinking hard.

"Wait, I got it," Wally said. "Why don't you give her your spare guitar? The one she's admired for months?"

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Speed nodded. "She knows how much I love it, but once she sees how much I want to give it to her, she'll be all over me in no time. Thanks, Wally."

Speed went inside to go wrap it up, and Kyle and Wally continued tossing the football around.

--

Meanwhile, Tommy had overheard Speed and Kyle talking, and smiled to himself. "Yeah, that's a great idea, Speed. Thanks for the tip." He went over to Sadie, who was still trying to console Jude, and said, "Sadie, I gotta go out for a little bit, but I'll be back soon if anyone asks."

Sadie nodded, wondering what Tommy was up to, but thought nothing of it. Moments later, she heard the familiar screech of tires as the blue Viper sped out of Kwest's driveway.

--

Not wanting to bother Sadie, who had her hands full with comforting her sister, Speed wandered from room to room.

He peered around an open door, and stepped inside.

"I wonder if Kwest has any wrapping paper," Speed thought. The room looked like all the other rooms he had passed, and the design was the same, from the polished hardwood floors to the high tray ceilings. "Man, it's like a museum in here," he thought, as he looked around. The room was surprisingly empty for someone so well off, and the only furniture was a solid oak desk, 2 gigantic cabinets, and a couple of cream-colored leather sofas.

"Maybe he's got some in there," Speed thought as he opened one of the cabinets. He rummaged around a little bit, and his eyes opened wide in surprise as he discovered what was in there.

"Oh, man, this is unbelievable," Speed thought gleefully. "Just wait till I tell the guys! I wonder if there's more in the other cabinet." He looked through the other cabinet, and found some other items that interested him. He could barely contain his excitement as he quickly stuffed everything back as he'd found it, and raced back outside.

"Dudes, you'll never guess what I just found," Speed said, excitement bubbling over.

AN: OK, I know, another really short chapter, but I need some time to think about what happens next. But I'll post ASAP, OK? Just as soon as you review. Thanks you guys! (sniffle)


	8. Chapter 8

AN: I'll try to keep this short, but you know how much I love to ramble. Petra and Chloe, your last reviews were soooo funny! Hmm…maybe I'll go along with them. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll surprise you guys. And Shannon, your wish is my command. Here you go! Enjoy!

Special Note to Readers: I just realized that I switched from writing in Jude's perspective to 3rd person (at least I think it's 3rd person). I'll try to keep it on track in future chapters, but if I do that again, tell me so I can fix it.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, do you think Tommy would've taken off like that? I hope Tommy comes back. He just has to. If he doesn't, I'll yell, scream, curse, throw things, wallow in my misery, fall into an un-Jommy-filled depression, and die. But I'm sure most of us would too.

Chapter 8: Kwest's Secret:

"What?" Kyle asked. He and Wally had gotten bored quickly with tossing the football around, and they could never keep still for very long without any excitement.

"I'll tell you, but I'd rather show you," Speed said. "Come on!" He took off again, and Kyle and Wally ran to keep up with him.

"Dude, wait up!" Wally gasped for breath.

"Shh!" Speed put a finger up to his lips. "Do you want the big boss lady to haul our asses outta here?"

"I'd like to see her try," Kyle said, hoping no one noticed the way he put it. He'd had a crush on Sadie from the first time he'd met her, and that was at their very first gig.

"Yeah, dude, I'm sure you would," Wally smirked, shoving Kyle in fun.

"Dude, shut it," Kyle shoved him back, and Wally fell back into an endtable that had a blue antique-looking vase on it. The vase wobbled, then tipped over.

"NOOOO!" Speed reacted quickly, and before Wally hit the floor, Speed dived for the vase, and ended up landing right on Wally.

"OW! Get off me, dude!" Wally pushed Speed off of him, and sat up, rubbing his arm.

"Sorry," Speed said. Kyle laughed hysterically, and after a moment, Speed joined in. Wally looked peeved at the both of them.

"Sorry, dude. It's just…the look on your face…" Kyle said, attempting to keep a straight face. Speed burst out laughing, and Kyle cracked up.

"Yeah? Well, it's not that funny, OK?" Wally was still hurt.

Kyle quickly changed the subject. "So, dude, what'd you want to show us?"

That got Wally's attention real fast. "Yeah, I wanna know too."

"Come with me," Speed motioned with his hand. "You won't believe what I'm about to show you."

SME trooped into the room where Speed had made his discovery, and Speed showed them the cabinet that had Kwest's secret hidden in it. There were a bunch of items in it.

One was a picture of Tommy, Portia, and Kwest that was taken during Tommy and Portia's wedding that showed Tommy in the forefront with Darius, while Kwest and Portia were in the background, looking closer than two friends should be.

The next two pictures showed Kwest in medieval garb. One showed Kwest in tights and a ruffled shirt, another showed him in a full suit of armor. Both of these showed the neon sign reading: Medieval Knights: Dinner and Tournament glowing behind him.

There were also some unfinished letters that Kwest had written to Portia, and it implied how upset she was that Tommy had never paid any attention to her or spent time with her when he was home from touring with Boyz Attack. Kwest's responses were more than just platonic. Kwest went so far as to write that if Portia had married him, he'd never have treated her as just another flavor-of- the-week as Tommy was used to doing before he married her. Portia's responses were just as incriminating. She'd written to Kwest that she'd married Tommy because he was one of the hottest celebrities, and at the beginning of their marriage, she felt like she was on top of the world since she'd managed to snag him from all the other major celebrities out there. But she soon found out that being the wife of one of the members of the biggest, most famous boybands in the nation, not to mention the world, was not all that it was cracked up to be. Her letters depicted a woman who had quickly discovered how lonely it was, despite being in the media spotlight.

Kwest's and Portia's letters had begun as a result of Portia asking for Kwest's advice about what to do. Portia knew that Kwest was Tommy's best friend, and she also knew that Kwest knew Tommy better than anyone else. Portia thought she could understand Tommy's actions through communicating with Kwest, but the more they did, the more they found they had much in common. And the more they talked with one another or wrote letters to each other, the more they found they were falling in love.

And that all became evident one day when Tommy came back from the studio to find Kwest and Portia making out at the Quincy mansion. Tommy was upset at first, but after he realized that his marriage to Portia just wasn't enough for either of them, they decided to call it quits. They parted amicably, and Tommy had eventually forgiven Portia for her betrayal. They had remained good friends after that, but although he kept up the same appearance with Kwest, Kwest just wasn't sure how much Tommy trusted him anymore. So he and Portia agreed to break up, and they also agreed never to talk about it to him again, fearing that old emotions would resurface and test the limits of their friendship.

"Cool," Speed said, gazing at the evidence before him. All of this would screw up the delicate balance between Kwest and Tommy, who still hadn't gotten over how Kwest married his ex-girlfriend, and cause a rift between Tommy and Jude, who'd definitely be jealous that Tommy still cared about Portia. He felt that if his plans went smoothly, Jude would come crying to Speed, and he'd be right there to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart. "Right where I want to be," he murmured to himself, as Kyle and Wally looked on in confusion, not understanding Speed's devious plans.

Just then, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.

"Quick!" Speed whispered loudly to his bandmates. The three of them quickly stuffed the items back into the cabinet haphazardly, then glanced furtively around the door before taking off in the other direction.

AN: Will Speed get caught? Will anyone find out about Kwest and Portia's previous fling? What happens next? It's up to you...Tell me what you want, and I'll work it into the storyline. As always, I'll post ASAP, OK? Just as soon as you review. Thanks for reading! You're awesome! And I hope I didn't ramble too much. I just wanted to give you a little background on what happened. If you think I did, let me know! Then I'll know not to do that as much.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Kerilyn, I'm glad you like this fanfic. And Chloe, your wish is my command.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, Tommy wouldn't have run off, he and Jude would've come out to Darius, Liam, and SME, and our favorite punk princess and her beloved prince can live happily ever after in their rockin' realm.

Last time:

SME trooped into the room where Speed had made his discovery, and Speed showed them the cabinet that had Kwest's secret hidden in it. There were a bunch of items in it.

One was a picture of Tommy, Portia, and Kwest that was taken during Tommy and Portia's wedding that showed Tommy in the forefront with Darius, while Kwest and Portia were in the background, looking closer than two friends should be.

The next two pictures showed Kwest in medieval garb. One showed Kwest in tights and a ruffled shirt, another showed him in a full suit of armor. Both of these showed the neon sign reading: Medieval Knights: Dinner and Tournament glowing behind him.

There were also some unfinished letters that Kwest had written to Portia…Kwest's and Portia's letters had begun as a result of Portia asking for Kwest's advice about what to do. Portia knew that Kwest was Tommy's best friend, and she also knew that Kwest knew Tommy better than anyone else. Portia thought she could understand Tommy's actions through communicating with Kwest, but the more they did, the more they found they had much in common. And the more they talked with one another or wrote letters to each other, the more they found they were falling in love.

And that all became evident one day when Tommy came back from the studio to find Kwest and Portia making out at the Quincy mansion. Tommy was upset at first, but after he realized that his marriage to Portia just wasn't enough for either of them, they decided to call it quits. They parted amicably, and Tommy had eventually forgiven Portia for her betrayal. They had remained good friends after that, but although he kept up the same appearance with Kwest, Kwest just wasn't sure how much Tommy trusted him anymore. So he and Portia agreed to break up, and they also agreed never to talk about it to him again, fearing that old emotions would resurface and test the limits of their friendship.

"Cool," Speed said, gazing at the evidence before him. All of this would screw up the delicate balance between Kwest and Tommy, who still hadn't gotten over how Kwest married his ex-girlfriend, and cause a rift between Tommy and Jude, who'd definitely be jealous that Tommy still cared about Portia. He felt that if his plans went smoothly, Jude would come crying to Speed, and he'd be right there to pick up the pieces of her shattered heart. "Right where I want to be," he murmured to himself, as Kyle and Wally looked on in confusion, not understanding Speed's devious plans.

Just then, the sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.

"Quick!" Speed whispered loudly to his bandmates. The three of them quickly stuffed the items back into the cabinet haphazardly, then glanced furtively around the door before taking off in the other direction.

Chapter 9: Surprise!

Kwest walked into his inner sanctuary, as he always did right before he left and right after he got back. He was usually very meticulous about leaving his stuff unattended, and he hoped that Sadie wasn't the type of woman who would go around snooping in his business.

He strolled over to the cabinet, and upon further inspection, noticed that someone had tampered with its contents.

Kwest's POV: Sadie? Tommy? Jude? SME? It's time to face the music.

He sighed, knowing that this moment was here at last, and he walked out, prepared to face them like he was facing death by firing squad.

Sadie, Jude, and SME were busy in the living room. Sadie had taken out some of her wardrobe to show Jude, who was positively green with envy. She had all the major labels: Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, you name it, she had it.

SME, on the other hand, was busy wrestling one another to the ground.

"HEY!" Kwest yelled. Everyone instantly forgot what they were so engrossed in.

"Hey, honey," Sadie said, getting up and going over to Kwest. She gave him a long, lingering kiss in greeting. "When did you get back?"

"Just now, and it's a good thing I did," Kwest looked accusatory. "Sadie, can I talk to you privately?"

"Sure," replied Sadie seductively. She thought Kwest was in a romantic mood. Little did she know how wrong she was.

When Kwest and Sadie had retreated into their master bedroom, Kwest wasted no time in mincing words.

"Sadie, I'm just gonna come right out and say this. Did you go into my private room?" Kwest looked her in the eye.

"No, why?" Sadie looked confused.

"'Cuz if you did, you can tell me. I'll understand," Kwest replied, this time a little more softly.

"I didn't. Why? Is something missing?" Sadie looked worried. She knew how protective Kwest could be of his privacy.

"No…It's just…I walked in there right after I got back like I always do, and stuff had been crammed back in there. Not at all like the way I leave it all nice and neat." Kwest wasn't sure whether to believe or disbelieve her.

"Who do you think did it?" Sadie wondered.

"Honestly, I don't know. But given the track records of everyone here, it'd have to be one of the SME boys." Kwest shook his head, not wanting to cause any more tension. Although, they'd been guilty of bringing it on themselves.

"Innocent until proven guilty," Sadie reminded him.

"I know, babe. But right now, I need some time to think," Kwest looked harried as he spoke.

"OK, I'll go have the cook start making dinner," Sadie left Kwest alone with his thoughts.

After a while, Kwest pulled me aside. "Jude, you got a minute?"

"Yeah, what's going on?" I said. "Are you planning something for Sadie?"

"No, I just want to find out about something," Kwest replied truthfully. "Jude, did you go into my sitting room today?"

"No, I didn't," I said, wondering what had urged him to ask that question. "Besides, I hate that room. No offense or anything, but it's so…practical. No instruments at all. No books, nothing to do but sit and stare at the wall. Unless you have a guitar with you, but you don't even have any place to plug in your amps. Totally boring, if you ask me."

"OK, I get the picture," Kwest interrupted. Did he sound mad? I hope I didn't give him any reason to doubt me. "Do you think you could help Sadie in the kitchen? She's getting dinner started."

"Sure," I said, recalling the numerous times that Sadie had tried to learn how to cook. She burned anything she attempted and everything she ever made. My mom swore that she'd learn how to cook if it took every ounce of willpower and stamina she had. A few occasions later, she gave up, and showed Sadie how to use a caterer.

"Oh, and Jude?" Kwest caught me just before I walked out the door.

"Yeah?" I said, wondering what else was on his mind.

"Is Tommy around?" Kwest asked, trying to act nonchalant.

"No, I haven't seen him in hours," I admitted. For a split second, I wondered if Tommy's disappearance had anything to do with Kwest's problem. Then I mentally smacked myself. No way could Tommy have done something so obvious. He's Kwest's best friend, right? Then I thought, maybe Kwest's jealousy drove him to do something, and Tommy found out about it, and tried to get evidence to expose him.

My POV: Jude, you've been watching too many spy movies lately. This stuff doesn't happen in real life, does it?

I left Kwest alone, and a few minutes later, I saw him call Speed.

I didn't know what happened, but a few minutes later, I saw Speed burst out from the hallway that he had just gone down.

"Someone call 911!" Speed gasped, as he struggled to keep calm.

Sadie had just come back from the kitchen, and at Speed's words, her face drained of color. "Who…what…" she managed to squeak out.

"It's…Kwest…" Speed gasped, clutching his sides.

"What happened?" Tommy walked in just then. I noticed he had a package behind his back.

"Kwest. We were talking, and then his eyes…they glazed over, and he fell to the floor. He's unconscious." Speed's eyes were wide with fear.

"What are we waiting for? Kyle, Wally, Speed, get Kwest, and put him in the H3. Sadie, Kyle, get in, I'll drive. Jude, you drive my Viper, Wally, Speed, go with her." Tommy instructed.

Everyone rushed out of there in record time, and soon were at the nearest hospital. Kwest was admitted immediately into the ER, and everyone waited anxiously in the waiting room.

Hours passed, and with each hour gone, there was still no word. Sadie was close to tears, and Jude was unsuccessfully trying to comfort her. For once, the SME boys were completely quiet, and had not said a word the whole way there. They also managed to keep still in their seats, which Tommy noted humorlessly, was a first.

The sun went down, and night fell as patients were admitted and discharged. Finally, a middle-aged doctor came out, and everyone stood up. He looked grim, and I thought, this can't be good.

Looking over his clipboard at his notes, he finally spoke.

AN: Here come the flames! I know, really bad cliffhanger, and overall, really short, but what can I say? Please review! I live for them!

Side note: I'm kinda upset right now, since my parents found out I just flunked a class, so now I have to go take summer school. Other than that, I'm grounded indefinitely. It didn't matter that I said I didn't want to go, and they said "Tough. You're going, whether you like it or not." So I'm going in, kicking and screaming. I wonder what happens if you flunk summer school? I don't want to find out, but at the same time, the class I flunked isn't exactly useful. I mean, who needs Trig?


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Argghhh! I forgot to keep this in Jude's perspective again! I had it all set up, but I guess it didn't get saved. Oh well, maybe this time it'll work. Katy, props to you for being the only reviewer for my last chapter. Even though 85 people looked at it, you were the only one who bothered to respond. You so rock! And of course I'm totally jealous of other writers who write a chapter and like 10+ people respond within the first 5 seconds after it posts (OK, gross exaggeration, but you know what I mean). It's so not fair! My writing doesn't suck, does it? I put a lot of effort into making it good, but every chapter I put up gets less and less viewers. I could do a one-shot, but I don't have that many different ideas. At least that haven't been done, since there are now like 450 people writing stories on the Instant Star page. But if this keeps up, I think I'm going to quit writing altogether and conclude that it's just not for me (even though I've wanted to be a writer for some time now, and was going to be one after I graduate from college, but maybe I'm just not cut out for this, and I'll let your lack of reviews shatter my dreams).

OK, one more little rant. Did anyone think that the girl Tommy saw was not his daughter? I get the feeling she's not his, but I could be wrong. And I definitely don't think she's Portia's. I'm also thinking that the little girl's mother is Shay's mother too. I don't know, any guesses?

OK, I'm done ranting. You can look now.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, Tommy wouldn't have run off, he and Jude would've told Darius, Liam, SME, Jamie, and anyone else I've missed about their forbidden relationship, and our favorite punk princess and her beloved prince could have a chance to live happily ever after in their rockin' realm (despite what everyone else thinks).

Last time:

A few minutes later, I saw Speed burst out from the hallway that he had just gone down.

"Someone call 911!" Speed gasped, as he struggled to keep calm.

Sadie had just come back from the kitchen, and at Speed's words, her face drained of color. "Who…what…" she managed to squeak out.

"It's…Kwest…" Speed gasped, clutching his sides.

_At the hospital…_

Hours passed, and with each hour gone, there was still no word. Sadie was close to tears, and Jude was unsuccessfully trying to comfort her. For once, the SME boys were completely quiet, and had not said a word the whole way there. They also managed to keep still in their seats, which Tommy noted humorlessly, was a first.

The sun went down, and night fell as patients were admitted and discharged. Finally, a middle-aged doctor came out, and everyone stood up. He looked grim, and I thought, this can't be good.

Looking over his clipboard at his notes, he finally spoke.

Chapter 10: The Verdict

"Mrs. Barnes?" The doctor looked at Sadie, then his gaze shifted over to me questioningly.

"Yes, how is he?" Sadie asked, getting up and sounding anxious.

"He's fine, but there is something I would like to talk to you about in private," the doctor motioned at the group.

Sadie nodded, and motioned for Tommy to come over. The doctor looked quizzically at him, until Sadie explained that Tommy was his co-worker at the studio, not to mention his best friend.

"Has he been going through a lot of stress lately?" the doctor asked.

Tommy rolled his eyes, while Sadie shot a look at him to behave. Then she motioned over to SME, and explained that they were staying with her and Kwest while they were looking for a place to stay.

The doctor looked amused now, and said, "I know how that can be, I've got two teenagers myself."

Then he got serious again, and told them that they would be keeping Kwest overnight for observation, and that Kwest would be discharged tomorrow afternoon. He instructed Sadie and Tommy to keep Kwest from being any more stressed than he already was, and to call him at any time if he had any signs of collapsing, getting pale, perspiring profusely, or other classic symptoms of stress. He told them that catching these symptoms early and knowing what to do would help prevent more major instances, like a heart attack, or a stroke, before they happen.

Sadie and Tommy thanked the doctor, then went back to the group.

"Is he OK?" Jude worried.

"He'll be fine," Sadie reassured her. "As long as these clowns don't keep driving him crazy."

"Ooh, that reminds me, I heard the circus is in town. Can we go see it?" Speed said, excitement all over his face.

"Aren't you afraid of evil clowns and scary magicians that can turn your worst nightmares into reality?" Kyle said, hoping to look impressive in Sadie's eyes.

"No way, dude. I got over that when I was 5," boasted Speed, although he wasn't. He just said it in the hopes of impressing Jude and winning her away from Tommy.

"Yeah, I want to go see it too. I've always wanted to see the lions, tigers, and bears," Wally said.

"Oh, my," Tommy thought, not in the least entertained.

Tommy's POV: "Jude Harrison, Back-Up Band Spiederman Mind Explosion, and little Tommy Q blow concert for night at circus." So not the kind of media attention they should be getting. And there's no way they're pulling me into this. Not before pigs fly and hell freezes over, and I go to the circus.

"So, babe, can we go?" Kyle said, draping an arm around Sadie.

Sadie grimaced as she removed his arm from around her neck. "Fine, but on one condition: don't ever call me babe again."

"OK, babe," Kyle said, grinning at her like a lovesick puppy.

"Argghhh!" Sadie threw up her hands in resignation, and I saw Tommy go over to her.

After a few minutes of talking, Sadie looked relieved.

"OK, everyone," Sadie said, sounding like the head cheerleader she used to be before she graduated. "The circus idea is canceled, but I do have another idea that I'm sure you'll all love."

"What?" SME roared in protest.

"Keep your pants on," Sadie said, before she realized that she said it out loud. Wally and Speed nudged Kyle, who turned a deep shade of red.

"Moving on," Sadie said quickly. "I vote that we all go to the opera." She smiled in satisfaction as SME grabbed their throats and made choking noises. "No children allowed," she added smugly.

"Tommy, can I talk to you for a second?" I said.

"OK," Tommy and I distanced ourselves from the others.

I asked him, "Was the opera your idea?"

"Yeah, I thought it'd be good to get away from the boys for a bit."

"Come on, Tommy, you know how much I love the circus," I coaxed, giving him my special smile, the one reserved only for him, and Tommy slowly smiled back.

"OK, I'll do it. Anything for you, girl," Tommy replied. I lost myself in his gaze. Those penetratingly clear blue eyes, the kinds you could feel drowning yourself in for hours. The same ones that pierced you down to your very soul, until nothing was left uncovered.

"Thank you, Tommy!" I squealed, throwing myself into his arms. "I want to see the fortune teller, the hot dog vendor, the peanuts guy, the cotton candy guy…"

Tommy laughed, holding me close in his arms. "Jude, is that why you want to go see the circus? You can get food anywhere else. I happen to make a mean linguini with mussels." He laughed again at my expression of disgust.

"Mussels? Eww. They're slimy, salty, and just plain yucky," I muttered, then regretted it as I saw Tommy's look of hurt.

"I mean, sure, they're great. Who doesn't love linguini with mussels?" I smiled, hoping to sound genuine.

Tommy smiled back at me. "It's OK, girl. I don't mind. That's one of the things I love about you. The way you always manage to make me smile, even when you're insulting my favorite dish." He pulled me even closer to him, and I relished the feeling of being in his loving and protective arms.

Then Tommy turned around, and said, "Sadie, change of plans. We're going to the circus." Sadie cringed and shrank down in her seat as the SME boys cheered in response, getting angry glares from the hospital staff and patients in the waiting room.

"Come on, we'd better go before we get kicked out of here," Sadie said, getting up. Tommy and I followed suit, grabbing the SME boys and dragging them out behind us, which was difficult as they were completely enthralled in the moment.

AN: I hope you liked the Jommy moment! I know I did. I'll try to put a few in from time to time, whenever I can, because just like you, I love Jude and Tommy together. As always, please review! Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

AN: OK, I've never been to the circus or a carnival, so I wasn't sure if the events I described actually take place at a circus. But go with me on this, OK? I'll be doing a few chapters on this. It's too much to describe in one chapter, but maybe I'll finish it off in 3 or 4.

Any guesses as to who the girl Tommy saw was? And who her mother might be? I really don't know, but I do know that I'm done ranting. You can look now.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, our favorite punk princess and her beloved blue-eyed prince would live happily ever after in their rockin' realm.

Chapter 11: Predictions…

"So where did you say this place was again?" Tommy said to Sadie and Kyle as he drove. Jude was following in the Viper with Speed and Wally, so naturally Tommy was grumpy that he couldn't be in the same car as Jude.

"Just go down by the docks, you can't miss it. All those bright lights, sounds, the big Ferris wheel…" Kyle said, trying to look impressive in Sadie's eyes.

"Yeah, I got it," muttered Tommy, squashing the urge to get back there and toss Kyle out the door. If only he could stop at a red light, but just his luck, every traffic light he passed happened to be green.

In no time at all, they arrived at the circus. They got out of their cars, and walked up to the entrance. They got their tickets, then walked inside.

"Come and see the world's most amazing acrobats," someone called out, while another said, "Now's your chance to see dancing elephants and skating bears. Step right this way!" The group was jostled along as the crowd pushed forward to get a better look at everything.

Tommy grabbed my hand, and I smiled at him. Kyle tried to grab Sadie's hand, but she shoved him away. Speed and Wally were too busy looking at the fortune-teller's booth, while I looked at the hot-dog vendor.

Tommy laughed as my stomach rumbled, and he said, "You're gonna put me in the poorhouse with your appetite, girl."

I pretended to be upset with him, even though I really wasn't, and feigned being angry. "I can't help it if I'm hungry. I'll be right back." I made as if to walk over there, and Tommy's grip on my hand tightened.

"Oh, no, you don't," Tommy chided gently. "I'm sticking to you like glue. I don't want to lose you, not in this crowd."

Sadie and SME trooped over, and we all had a couple of hot dogs each. Kyle, Speed, and Wally ate at least 4 each, and by the time we left, the hot-dog vendor put up a sign that said temporarily closed. He shook his head as he put more hot-dogs in to cook.

After our hot-dog binge, we walked over to the big top, where the main event was going to be held. I got a program (well actually Tommy got one for me), and I flipped through the pages to see what we'd be watching. There were tightrope walkers, contortionists, the usual lion/tiger/elephant acts, and clowns juggling and riding around on unicycles.

Then there was a clown act where 30 of them fit into this small car. In the next act, tigers leapt through burning hoops, elephants danced, bears skated, acrobats tumbled, and the trapeze artists flew through the air. It was like poetry in motion, and there were some tense moments where I couldn't bear to watch.

At the intermission, I said I wanted to get some snacks, and Sadie said, "You're a pig, you know that? Didn't we just eat?"

I replied, "Yeah, but I guess you didn't keep it in, Ms. Anorexic/Always checking to see if you've gained a hundredth of a pound…Gasp! I did! I guess that means I have to run 50 miles and do 500 situps before I can eat a kernel of corn."

Tommy pulled me away before Sadie could come up with a witty comeback, and SME followed, hungry once again. We raided the popcorn guy, the peanuts guy, the ice-cream guy, and the pretzel guy before we were temporarily sated, then Speed blurted out, "I wanna see the fortune teller!"

"Why? Are you afraid something might happen to you?" Wally teased.

"No, just come on already," Speed was off like a bolt of lightning, with Wally close behind.

"OK, but I want to go on the Ferris wheel later," Kyle said, hoping to get a ride with Sadie.

"Yeah, and I want to go in the fun house," I said. I looked at Sadie, and she shrugged in indifference. "Fine, but we meet back here in an hour."

"OK," I agreed, and Kyle echoed a second later.

"Come on," I said excitedly as I pulled Tommy behind me.

I guess my excitement was infectious, because Tommy cracked a smile when we ran over to the fortune teller. I really wanted to go on the Ferris wheel, since it'd give me some time alone with Tommy, but I also wanted to see what the fortune-teller would tell Speed his future was.

We made it over there just as Speed and Wally got there, cotton candy in hand.

"Dude, I was hungry, OK?" Speed said defensively as Tommy shot him a look that said, "You just ate, and you're eating again?"

"Want some?" Speed offered me, as I saw Wally eying it.

"Yeah," I said, taking a handful. "Here, Tommy," I gave it to him, and my suspicions were confirmed when I saw Speed shoot a hesitant look at me. I guess he was still jealous that I was with Tommy, but I'm sure he'll get over it sooner or later, right?

"Can I have some more?" I asked Speed. By now, Tommy and Wally were going in, and Speed shook his head.

"No, just share what you got for your producer, who just happens to be 7 years older than you," Speed said. "If you want more, just ask him to get more for you," he said bitterly, and stalked away.

My POV: I'd better get in there before Speed starts something with Tommy.

I rushed over to the booth where the fortune-teller was, and saw that Tommy was waiting outside.

"Come in," the fortune-teller sang out.

We looked at one another in amazement. How did she know we were waiting outside? I let Tommy go first, then I followed so that I'd separate them.

"How did you know we were outside?" Tommy asked, incredulous.

The fortune teller just smiled. "I have my ways. Come, sit down, and let me tell your fortunes."

Tommy went first, and she grasped his hand, trying to read the lines. A second later, she said, "You're a musician."

"Duh," Tommy said. "Anyone can see that. Calluses on fingers – a dead giveaway for a guitar player."

"True, but my daughter used to be a fan of Boyz Attack a while back," the fortune teller said. "Now that I know your name, let me introduce myself. I'm Madame Esmeralda."

"Nice to meet you," I said, shaking her hand. She shook each of our hands in turn, then said, "Ah, so you're all musicians. You must play in a band together. Am I right?" She smiled, and laughed when Tommy mused, "Yeah, your granddaughter must be a fan of Jude's and SME's."

Madame Esmeralda nodded, and resumed reading our palms. She looked at Tommy's first, then said, "You have secrets that you haven't told anyone, not even those closest to you. You will find love in the most unexpected of places, but this will have a major effect on you and everyone you know. And you will lose a lot of money."

Tommy looked away as we all looked at him. Then he asked, "Does it say why I'm going to the poorhouse?"

"No, that is uncertain at this point," replied Madame Esmeralda, frowning.

Then she took my hand next. She said, "You have faced unbelievable heartbreak at such a young age, yet you have managed to stay strong. You will face many trials that will test your limits, but you will overcome them all. As for love, there is one you love, but you must not tell him. Not yet, anyway. And when you do tell him, be prepared, for there are those who will not approve."

What could she mean by that? Tommy already knew I loved him, and I knew he loved me. There wasn't anyone else I felt the same way about, unless she referred to Jamie, but Jamie was always my best friend, and he'll always be my best friend, nothing more. I wondered what she meant by that. I listened in as she started on Speed.

"Hmm…very interesting. I see lots of inner turmoil, lots of conflicting thoughts. There's something you want, but you can't get it. You pretend to be something you're not, in the hopes of fooling people into thinking that you're what everyone expects you to be. You love to play jokes on people, but at other times you can be serious. Especially when it comes to those you love. You have found the woman of your dreams. Sometimes she's close to you, yet at other times, she seems so very far away."

Wally nudged Speed, silently laughing at him, and next it was Kyle's turn.

Madame Esmeralda frowned in concentration, then finally spoke. "Whatever you were planning to do, now is not the time. Going through with your plans will come back to hurt you, and you will never recover. You will, however, come into money very quickly."

Kyle thought for a second, then asked, "Is the money from Tommy?" He laughed as Tommy glared at him.

"Over my dead body," Tommy declared.

"Ooh, look at me. I'm trembling in fear," mocked Kyle.

"Dude, shut it," Tommy warned.

As we got up to leave, we thanked Madame Esmeralda, then made our way towards the door.

"Oh, one last thing," she said, momentarily stopping us. "Whatever you do, don't let it destroy your friendship. The bonds between the 5 of you are very strong, but they can be broken quite easily. Just think twice before you do anything. And something unexpected will happen, so just remember what I've already told you."

"Thanks, but I think we'll be OK," Tommy said confidently. We left her booth, and went over to the Ferris wheel.

"Hold on, all that food made me really thirsty," Speed said, "I'm gonna go get a Coke."

"Yeah, me too," Wally and Kyle chorused. They ran off, and minutes later were back with their drink in hand.

"Are we ready now, children?" Tommy teased, as Speed threw an empty straw wrapper at him.

"Ooh, there it is!" I squealed, then ran toward it, pulling Tommy behind me.


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Any guesses as to who the girl Tommy saw was? And who her mother might be? I really don't know, but if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, our favorite punk princess and her beloved blue-eyed prince would live happily ever after in their rockin' realm.

Chapter 12: …Come True?

SME followed me there, and surprisingly, Sadie was in line.

"Sades, what are you doing here?" I said, guilty for not checking up on her earlier.

"I figured I'd get on here so that I can find out where you guys are," Sadie said. It drove me crazy just how she could be so practical sometimes. And other times, she made no sense at all. There's my sister for you, impossible to figure out.

"Look, we're up!" I said, pointing at the line. As soon as we cleared the gate, I grabbed Tommy's hand and ran to the nearest one and climbed in.

Bad idea, I thought, as I glanced over my shoulder to see where Sadie was.

Kyle had seen what I did to Tommy, and he'd done the same thing to Sadie, who was now stuck sitting next to Kyle, frowning. Her frown deepened as Kyle put his arm around her shoulders, and she used it to her advantage and elbowed him in the ribs hard. He winced painfully and bent over, trying to regain his composure. Sadie sat back, smirking in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Speed had gotten stuck with Wally, who had been hoping to get a ride with the girl next to him, and Speed wasn't happy either. I could tell, since he had a similar expression to the one Sadie had just had before she purposely injured Kyle.

I leaned back as Tommy wrapped his arms around me, and he smiled at me as we went up. Soon we could see all the sights below us, but we were too wrapped up in one another to pay attention to everything around us.

"Mmm…I could definitely get used to this," Tommy smiled as he leaned in for a kiss.

After a minute, we broke apart. "Too bad you taste like peanuts and pretzels and hot dogs, though," Tommy grinned as I pretended to look shocked.

"Way to spoil the moment, Quincy," I said, pretending to be offended.

"I promise I'll make up for it later when we get back. What can we do to get rid of the SME boys, and have time to ourselves?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure we'll think of something," I said, even though my mind was on something else.

"Let's have linguini later, shall we?" I said, trying to regain the moment. I was thinking of the movie Lady and the Tramp, where they share a plate of spaghetti and they kiss. If you can actually call it that. I mean, they are dogs, so I guess that really isn't kissing, is it? Either way, I was trying to recreate our romantic mood.

"My treat," Tommy said, pulling me in for another long, intense kiss. We made out for what seemed like 10 minutes, when suddenly I felt a jerk. We broke apart, and looked to see what the problem was.

"Don't let us get stuck up here," I muttered under my breath. I mean, I didn't mind that I was on a Ferris wheel at night, with none other than little Tommy Q, and we had just made out for the last 10 minutes, but the thought of plunging headfirst into the cement below was a completely different story.

"What's going on down there?" some people called out to the operator.

"The lever's stuck. Don't worry, we'll have you down in no time," The operator tried to calm everyone on the Ferris wheel, but some had panicked and were making the situation worse.

"Hurry up, will you? I gotta go," Speed yelled.

"Yeah, me too," echoed Wally and Kyle.

Sadie looked repulsed. "You'd better not go right here."

The people below the Ferris wheel moved out, and all of them were looking up at the Ferris wheel suspended in the air.

"Guess you should have thought of that before you drank those Cokes," Tommy called out to them, laughing. I nudged him gently in the ribs, and he said, "Watch it, girl, or I'm gonna make you regret it."

"Ooh, what are you gonna do now? You don't scare me," I teased back.

"Oh yeah? Watch this," I saw Tommy's eyes darken for a second, and then he pulled me toward him as our lips met and hungrily devoured one another's, as if our lives depended on it. He kissed me like he's never kissed me before, and I loved the feeling of being in his arms, feeling his lips on mine, and knowing that there was nowhere else I wanted to be, except right then and there.

AN: OK, I know this is a really short chapter, but the next one will be longer. I promise!


	13. Chapter 13

AN: OMG, you guys, I have been uber-busy as of late, and I had this chapter written but no time to put it up. So here you go. I hope you like it. I'll try and write more when I get a chance, and also catch up on reviews (haven't read them yet, even though I'm dying to see what you think so far).

Special Note: Happy birthday, Tim! (For those of you who don't know, today, June 4, is Tim Rozon's birthday).

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, our favorite punk princess and her beloved blue-eyed prince would live happily ever after in their rockin' realm.

Chapter 12: Chills and Thrills

I sighed against Tommy's mouth as I heard my cell phone go off.

"Ignore it," Tommy commanded, even as I looked to see who it was. Sadie's picture flashed on the screen, and I reluctantly broke it off.

"I'm so gonna kill your sister," Tommy said, still in a romantic mood. I could tell by the way he looked at me that this was going to continue later.

I ignored him as I picked up the phone and said, "Sades, what do you want?" I held the phone away from my ear as Sadie screeched into it, "Jude, where are you? I've been trying to call you for the past 10 minutes. Are you deaf or something? You're supposed to meet me in 5 minutes, remember?"

I laughed at the situation I was in, and snuggled closer to Tommy. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around me so that I'd be more comfortable. "Sadie, chill, OK? We're stuck on the Ferris wheel. We'll get there when we get down, OK?"

I hung up before she could say any more, and minutes later, I looked down and saw her standing near the exit.

The operator pulled out some tools and tried moving the lever up and down. Eventually, the lever gave way, and the Ferris wheel started moving again. People cheered as everyone was let out, and the second Speed, Wally, and Kyle touched down, they jumped up from their seats and ran as fast as they could toward the nearest bathroom. The crowd that had gathered either laughed at their actions, and received glares from the three boys, or quickly moved out of the way and pointed them in the right direction.

Tommy and I were still wrapped up in each other, and judging from the look in his eyes, he didn't want to let me go anytime soon. So I put my hand in his, and removed myself from his embrace. I saw Sadie walking in our direction, and Tommy's grip tightened on my hand as if to give me moral support.

"As soon as they get back, we're going home," Sadie said.

"What? But I want to see the fun house," I protested. I secretly wondered whether

Tommy was afraid of clowns like I knew Speed was, but the only way I'd know is if I got to go in.

"Come on Sadie, we'll make it quick, OK?" Tommy urged, and for a minute, I watched as Sadie contemplated his argument. He must have given her his trademark Tommy Q pout, which would make anyone give in to his demands, but Sadie could be stubborn when she wanted to be. Finally, I threw in my puppy dog eyes, and Sadie crumpled.

"Fine, just hurry it up, OK?" Sadie said, as Speed, Wally, and Kyle came back.

"Dude, where're we going?" Kyle asked, smiling at Sadie.

"What did I tell you before?" Sadie ignored his question.

"Oh, uh, right. Sorry Sadie," Kyle looked apologetic.

"It's OK. Tommy and Jude want to go to the fun house. I'll give you 40 minutes, then I'm leaving." Sadie said.

"40 minutes it is then," Kyle said, hoping to score points with her. He grabbed her hand, and said, "Come on, Sadie. It's time for you to have some fun in the funhouse."

Before Sadie could object, she was dragged off by Kyle and Wally. Speed, not wanting to leave me alone with Tommy, stayed behind.

"Jude, come on," Speed said, as he grabbed Jude's hand and pulled her behind him.

"Dudes! Wait up!" I glanced apologetically at Tommy as he glared daggers at Speed, and followed close behind us.

--

At the funhouse, we caught up to Sadie and the guys, and were ushered into a dark corridor as circus music played.

"Hey! Watch your hands!" I heard Sadie exclaim as the sound of a smack echoed.

"Ow!" Wally said, as Kyle laughed. The sound of scuffling ensued, and Sadie was pushed into us.

"Mind if I stay with you guys?" Sadie said, trying to avoid getting stuck with Kyle and Wally.

"No, not at all," Tommy said, trying not to smile, even though I could tell he was.

The four of us followed Kyle and Wally at a distance, and I was so busy taking in the sights and sounds that I hadn't realized Speed and I were lagging behind.

"Aaahhhhh!" Speed screamed in fright. Clowns had popped out of nowhere and started cackling at us.

"Speed, it's just a couple clowns. Nothing to worry about," I said to Speed. But Speed had thrown himself into my arms and tried to keep from bawling.

At last, he calmed down long enough to say, "Jude, let's get out of here." I'd really wanted to see the distorted mirrors, but decided against them just this once.

"OK," I said, knowing better than to argue with him. Anyway, his grip on my arm was so strong that I was beginning to lose feeling in it.

We walked outside, and I tried to calm him down even more.

"You OK, Speed? You look like you've seen a ghost," I laughed at my own feeble joke, and Speed still looked afraid.

"Sure, go ahead. Hey everyone, come pick on me, since I'm so afraid of a bunch of evil clowns who're plotting to take over the world, that's all," Speed mimicked me. He sniffled, still traumatized by what had happened.

"Wanna talk about it?" I coaxed, knowing if he did, maybe he wouldn't be so afraid anymore.

"OK," Speed said, sounding as if nothing he said could make him get over his fear.

"I was 5 when my parents took me to the circus. They brought me, Wally, and Kyle to the funhouse, and I loved it. Until we got to the part where the clowns jumped out at me and yelled, "HI, KIDS!". Wally and Kyle cracked up, but I was scarred for life." He smiled weakly at me, hoping to reassure me that he was OK, but I knew he wasn't.

"It's OK, Speed. Everyone's got something they're afraid of. Wanna know a secret?" I leaned in closer.

"What's that?" Speed looked at me, waiting for a response.

"I'm afraid of spiders," I actually wasn't, but I wanted him to feel better.

"Really?" Speed said, a mischievous smile coming on. "I'll have to remember that…"

"Speed, if you pull a couple of fake spiders on me, I'm so blabbing to everyone about your fear of clowns," I said, and smirked as Speed's smile disappeared.

"OK, your secret's safe with me," Speed said. He saw Tommy, Sadie, and the guys approaching, then pulled me into his lap.

"Guys, what's going on?" Tommy looked at me and Speed suspiciously, thinking there was something going on.

I glanced at Speed in curiosity, also wondering the same thing, but Speed had quickly shrugged it off.

"Nothing, it's just everywhere else is filthy. There's no clean place for punk princess Jude to sit down."

"I didn't have to sit down," I said, as Speed instantly looked up and his eyes locked with mine. "Really, I'm OK."

"That's great, because we should probably get going. Same as before?" Sadie asked Tommy. Tommy nodded, meaning that I'd be driving Tommy's Viper back with Speed and Wally, and Tommy would be driving Sadie and Kyle back.

The 6 of us drove back to Sadie's house, and began setting up for dinner.

"Sadie, need any help?" I offered, as Sadie smiled at me in relief.

"Thanks, Jude," she said. I knew the guys would eat a lot, so I began setting out plates, glasses, and utensils.

"What are these for?" Wally asked, as Tommy bit back a laugh.

"Dude, I think it's for decoration, but I'm sure no one really uses them," Speed said.

"Who needs forks and knives when we're eating burgers, hot dogs, and pizza?"

"Yeah, you're absolutely right, but you forgot the other main food groups…chips, drinks, ice cream…pretzels, cotton candy, and cake." Kyle said, proud of himself for remembering stuff that his friends didn't.

Sadie and I bit back a smile as they overheard the boys talking. I motioned for her to follow me back in the kitchen, where we could talk.

Tommy came in just as we were about to burst from holding it in.

"Hey, what's so funny?" Tommy said, giving me a hug.

"I can't wait to see their expressions when I serve this…" Sadie took off the lid to the pot that was steaming before us. The smell permeated the kitchen, and Tommy inhaled and smiled.

"Wow, for being months on your own, you've actually learned how to cook properly," Tommy teased, as Sadie glared at him. But she couldn't stay mad long.

"What do you say we take these out to the guys?" Sadie asked us. "They must be starving right about now."

"You know what? I think you're right," Tommy said, and I nodded, barely able to conceal my laughter.

We took out the food to them, making sure to leave the covers on.

"Hey guys, it's chow time," Sadie called out. The guys made a beeline for the table.

"Whatever it is, it smells really good," Kyle said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Wally said.

"Here it is," Sadie and I said, reaching over and taking off the covers.

I heard strangled gasps as the guys' mouths hung open in shock.

"That's nasty," I heard Wally whisper to Kyle. "It's still got the head on."

"Yeah, but that's not the bad part. At least it's not looking at you," Speed said. "Do I really have to eat this?" He looked at Sadie, hoping she'd come out and say, "It's all a big joke."

"Yeah, I'm not gonna let you guys throw away my creations when I've spent hours slaving away over a hot stove," Sadie replied.

"Guys, why don't you have the first choice," Tommy offered, pretending that it was perfectly edible. But I'm sure he could eat this, since they probably eat a lot of weird things, like Boyz Attack probably had to eat when they went on their world tours.

"Jude?" Sadie asked, hoping that if I ate something, they'd probably be OK with it.

I nodded and took a piece from the middle, far enough away from the head and the feet.

I poked my fork into a piece and brought it up to my mouth. The guys watched my every move, especially Speed, whose gaze was firmly fixed on me.

I put it in my mouth, and felt the juices come out as I chewed. It was absolutely delicious.

"Guys, it's really good. You should try it," I laughed as I looked at their expressions. No longer did they have one of horror at what we had to eat, but now their expressions were shocked and worried.

"You actually…picked it up…and ate it?" Speed said, amazed that I didn't keel over and die.

"Yeah. Here, try it," I suggested. When they didn't respond, I cut pieces for them, ignored their looks of protest, and stuffed a piece into each of their mouths. After a few seconds, they managed to get it down without choking and looking cross-eyed.

"There, you see, it's edible," Sadie said, grumpy that her meal didn't go over as well as she'd hoped.

Tommy fed me a piece of his, while I did the same to him. Speed started choking, but I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not.

"Speed? You OK?" I ran up behind him, and gave him the Heimlich just in case. Just then, I caught Tommy's gaze. It was one of anger because I'd quickly run to save my lead guitarist from choking.

"Tommy, can I talk to you for a minute?" I said, making sure Tommy knew exactly where I was coming from.

"Yeah, girl. I've got all the time in the world for you," Tommy said as I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen. I saw him smirk at Speed, and Speed glared at Tommy.

My POV: Man, is there enough testosterone in here? I mean, cut it out already. I'm with Tommy, aren't I? Wait…what am I thinking? Of course I'm with Tommy, but I've gotten to know Speed pretty well, since we've been on a few tours together, which Tommy also came on. But Tommy never came to rehearsals, whereas Speed was always there practicing. Argh! Stop it, Jude! Don't do this to yourself. Wait, Tommy's saying something. I'd better listen in…


	14. Chapter 14

AN: OMG, OMG, OMG! I can't believe I got 5 reviews for my last chapter. Thank you all so, so much! Especially Shannon, Chloe (btw, I loved the comment you gave me for Chapter 12. Jude's so lucky to have gotten that chance!), Rachel (you are so lucky to live where you do), Kerilyn, and iheartinstantstar (don't we all?) You guys are the best!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. CTV and Epitome Pictures do (lucky them). But you knew that already.

Chapter 14 - Confessions

"What was that?" I lashed out at Tommy even before he had barely closed the door behind him.

"What was that? Jude, don't tell me you don't see what Speed's trying to do," Tommy scoffed, incredulous at my naivete.

"What? What are you talking about? He was choking, Tommy. It's not like anyone was helping," I said defensively.

"Yeah, sure. Speed choking? It's all an act to make me jealous," Tommy answered.

"Are you on something? Speed knows we're together, so why are you all possessive all of a sudden?" I blurted out, even before I could stop myself.

"He wants what he can't have – you," Tommy told me bluntly. "Don't think I haven't seen all the signs...the glances in your direction, getting the door for you, pulling the chair out for you to sit down, hooking up your guitar and tuning it for you, the pretending to be scared of "evil" clowns, pretending to choke so that you would hold him from behind…"

"You're unbelievable," I said, shaking my head in frustration. "Speed's my bandmate, he's like a brother to me…" I laughed inside, wondering how Tommy came to his conclusion.

"Fine, think whatever you want. Just don't say I didn't warn you…" Tommy said, turning around and heading back out into the dining room.

I thought nothing of it until I stepped out, and Speed stood up to pull my seat out for me. "Here you go, milady," Speed said in a fake British accent.

I glanced at Tommy, who shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows as if to say, "I told you so".

The rest of the meal went on as expected, with Wally and Kyle occasionally poking their forks into their food with not much enthusiasm as I'd usually seen them have at mealtimes before. Sadie ate in silence, and quickly polished her plate off and stood up as if to get away from everyone, especially Kyle. She was about to head toward the kitchen, when Kyle jumped up and said, "Let me help you with those".

"It's OK, Kyle, I got them," Sadie replied, surprised at Kyle's generosity.

"No, I really want to help," Kyle insisted, losing himself in Sadie's gaze.

"Yeah, Sadie, I can help dry 'em, if you want," Wally offered, trying to make himself useful. He didn't want to be stuck in the same room as Speed, Jude, and Tommy. There was enough drama there, and he didn't want to be in the middle of it.

Sadie looked up as it to ask for patience, then looked at both boys. "OK, but be careful. These are antique plates."

The guys high-fived one another while clearing plates off the table.

"Watch the door!" Sadie called out, as they burst through the door into the kitchen. She shook her head, and murmured, "I hope I don't regret this."

I stood up, finally done with my meal, and Tommy and Speed followed suit.

"Let me get that for you," offered Tommy, before Speed could say anything.

"No, Jude, let me," Speed countered.

"Tell you what, Speed, come with me. You can help me wash up, OK?" I asked. I'd had enough of their glaring at one another throughout the whole meal, and it was time to settle it once and for all.

Speed looked triumphantly at Tommy, as Tommy scowled at him and glared.

I gathered plates, utensils, and glasses as Speed (surprise!) held the door open for me. Once I got in the kitchen, I smiled as I saw Sadie standing between Kyle and Wally, ready to catch anything they dropped.

We waited until they were done, and Sadie let out a huge sigh of relief that nothing was broken.

"Speed, can I ask you something?" I wanted to know what he thought of me.

"Anything, Jude," Speed said, taking some plates and utensils from my grasp and setting them down on the counter. He turned to me, and said, "What is it?"

"Speed, I don't know how to ask you this, but…" I gulped, then let it out in a rush. "…do you like me?"

"Sure, all-powerful rock goddess Jude," Speed laughed, and I thought there was nothing more to it. But since I wanted to be sure, I waited until his laughter died down.

"Speed, come on. I need you to be honest with me. Do you?" I couldn't meet his gaze, because I was afraid that his answer was yes.

"Jude," Speed said softly. The tone in his voice was enough to know that Tommy's suspicions were right.

"Speed, you know I'm with Tommy," I began, finally meeting his eyes.

"I know," Speed answered sadly. He looked down, not knowing what to say.

"And you know the #1 rule of all bands everywhere, right?" I prompted, hoping to soften the damage that was already done.

"Never date your female lead singer – It'll break up the band…I know," Speed sighed, then went against his better judgment. "But it's just…Why are you with Tommy? Why can't you be with me?"

"Speed, I—" I didn't know how to answer it, so I decided to tell him how I felt. "You guys are like my brothers. We've been friends for years, and if we take it past that, it'd ruin everything. I mean, if we were to be involved, and it didn't end well, then the band would break up, and it'd be our fault, right?" I tried to make it as rational-sounding as I could, but that didn't have the effect on Speed that I wanted.

"I guess," Speed agreed reluctantly, even though I knew he wasn't completely convinced. "So…"

"Are we cool?" I asked him.

"Cool," Speed said. He paused, then said, "But you didn't answer my other question – Why are you with Tommy? I thought you hated all boybands, and little Tommy Q, however much he wants to deny it, is still as Boyz Attack as he'll ever be."

"It's hard to explain," I said. "Me and him, we just click on so many different levels. He sees the real me, knows exactly where I'm coming from, and where I want to go with my music. Writing a song with him is like…it's like magic, it's like breathing air, it's like me writing songs that will change the world. He's someone I can be myself with, someone who's seen me at my worst, and he's been through it all before, the media, fame, fortune, everything. So who better to work with than someone who knows exactly what I want to say and how to make it good?"

"I get it, Jude, but I'm still gonna have my eye on him. If he tries anything with you, he's a dead man." Speed warned, trying to be my knight in blue jeans and a Tee. "You wanna know a secret?"

"What's that?" I wondered.

"All I can tell you is that it has something to do with Kwest, Tommy, and Portia." Speed nodded conspiratorially.

"Ooh, a secret? I love secrets. Speaking of which, why are you guys here all the time? Don't you have homes of your own?" I wondered.

"Yeah, but we like to jam a lot, and none of our moms wanted to hear amps that loud. The neighbors complained that we were ruining their hearing by playing 'that awful noise you teenagers call music', so we got kicked out." Speed said, a little sheepish.

Then I tried to change the subject, because it seemed as though he was embarrassed that he didn't have a place of his own to stay in. "So, now that dinner's done, want to jam a bit? I've got half a song written in my head, so if you want…" I smiled as I saw the old Speed come back with a grin.

"What are we waiting for?" Speed took my hand and pulled me to the kitchen door.

"What about the dishes?" I asked, knowing Sadie hated cleaning.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Kyle wouldn't mind," Speed smirked, a wicked grin appearing on his face. "Oh Ky-ell (spelled phonetically), Sadie said she needed help with some more dishes. Do you think you can—"

We had just gotten near the door as Kyle flew through it, almost hitting us in his enthusiasm.

"I take that as a yes," Speed laughed, as I joined in.

Tommy was sitting outside, waiting for me, and at the looks on our faces, and at our entwined hands, he scowled even more deeply.

I let go of Speed's hand, walked over to him, and leaned over. "Don't worry, Tommy. Speed's OK with us."

Tommy leaned back, and slowly smiled. "Come here," he said, slowly motioning to his lap.

"Actually, Tommy, I think we'll need your help. We need your advice on this." I pulled him out of his chair, and the three of us walked toward Kwest's studio.

Once we got there, I rummaged through my backpack until I found my notebook, the one I keep all my songs in. It was falling apart at the seams, but I had managed to tape it together, even though it was bulging with extra sheets of paper, which included revisions to songs, new songs that I hadn't finished yet, and ideas that I hadn't gotten to work on yet.

I flipped through my notebook until I found what I was looking for, then shoved it into Tommy's hands. "There, that's the one I wanted you to look at," I said, waiting for Tommy's verdict. "So, what do you think?"

Tommy didn't answer for several moments. Instead, he looked at what I'd written, and he was deep in concentration. Finally, he looked up, and solemnly said, "I think it's a start…" He smiled as I grabbed the notebook out of his hands and whacked him with it.

"What? I spent hours on that getting it perfect, only to have you look it over for like 10 seconds and tell me that 'it's a start? Don't you even think about going there, Quincy" I declared angrily, as Speed and Tommy desperately tried to hold it in, but lost it and started laughing hysterically.

Finally, I gave in and laughed myself, after seeing that Tommy was joking. After we calmed down a bit, he said, "This is good, girl. Really good. Let's see what you got." He motioned for us to start after assuming his position at the soundboard that was set up.

We had barely finished the first verse when Wally burst in, gasping for breath.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Speed stopped and took off his guitar strap.

"The hospital just called. Something's wrong with Kwest," Wally panted.

We all dropped everything, and rushed upstairs. Sadie had been crying, and her eyes were all red and still teary.

"Come on guys," Tommy said. We jumped in two cars and took off.

AN #2: Read and review, please!


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Again, sorry that I didn't get a chance to post this earlier. I injured my wrist playing tennis, and it's still pretty sore. But I can't go 1 week without posting something up, so here you go! Thanks to all my readers (whether you review or not)! Just knowing you came across my chapter means so much to me! You guys are the best!

Special AN: Tommy4eva, I'm soooo, soooo sorry for not noticing earlier. But I just checked out your personal profile, and wanted to wish you a happy belated birthday. OK, a really belated birthday, but at least I remembered, right? I hope you keep reading, since you're one of my most faithful reviewers.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. CTV and Epitome Pictures do (lucky them). But you knew that already.

Chapter 15 – Things Aren't Always What They Appear To Be

We got to the hospital as fast as we could go, and jumped out of the cars as soon as they were put in park. We raced to the stairs, and ran towards the floor Kwest was on. We ran over to the reception desk, and blurted out that we were there for Kwest, and the receptionist began handing over the sign-in sheet. As we stared at the clipboard, looking at it like it was some gross looking insect, the doctor in charge of Kwest's care came out of one of the doors leading to the recovery room.

"Hi Sadie, Tommy, Jude, guys," he looked at each one of us. "You can go see Kwest right now, but he's still under my immediate supervision. And you can go in 1 or 2 at a time."

I grabbed Tommy's hand and squeezed it lightly. I knew how much Kwest meant to Tommy, because Kwest meant the same to me too. He always helped me and Tommy, especially when we couldn't stand being around one another, and he was the one who always managed to help us make up. And now that he was in fair condition, we needed to be strong for him, since he was always there for us, and now we needed to be there for him.

Kyle noticed my and Tommy's support of one another, and he did the same to Sadie. Sadie looked at him quizzically, before letting her guard down. She wrapped her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. He put his arms around her, and knew this was the time to be there for her when she needed it most.

Speed and Wally were looking pretty grim, at least for them, since they were so used to goofing off all the time. They looked as if a nurse would come bursting out of Kwest's room and shriek, "Code Blue!" meaning that Kwest was slipping away.

"Sadie, why don't you go first? I'm sure you want to know how Kwest is," the doctor gently urged.

"Thank you, doctor," Sadie said. Kyle stepped back, knowing she would want some alone time with her husband.

Sadie went in, and the rest of them waited a long time. About an hour later, she came back out, looking relieved.

"How is he?" I asked, knowing Tommy was dying to know as well.

"Kwest said he feels OK, but he also said that it's gonna be a long time before he can get to work," Sadie managed a small smile, as Tommy groaned in frustration.

"Oh, no," I realized a split second later. That meant Tommy wouldn't be able to come home until late, since he would have to take on all of Kwest's work. This also meant that we would hardly have any time together, so if I wanted to see Tommy, I'd have to step in and help as much as possible if I wanted to see my boyfriend at all during the day.

"Hey, is there anything we can do to help?" Speed asked, noticing the shock in my expression.

"Yeah, we can stay out of their way," Kyle suggested. motioning to Tommy, me, and Sadie.

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of being our errand boys. That is, when you're not recording." Sadie said, already thinking of ways to make their lives miserable.

"No way, Sades," Kyle said, shaking his head, although he knew he'd be pulled into it one way or another.

"Think again, boys. I've got a whole list of things you can do. Why don't we start now?" Sadie said happily, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.

SME groaned, as they knew Sadie could be an evil taskmistress.

"Does this mean we have to do your laundry?" Wally asked.

"No, but now that you mention it…" Sadie smiled as Speed elbowed him in the ribs hard and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear, "Dude, shut it. Don't give her any more ideas. I don't want to be blamed if Kyle's clothes come out pink."

Tommy burst out laughing as he pictured the scenario, and Kyle glared at him angrily before he finally settled into a deep scowl.

"Tommy, want to go next?" I offered, knowing he'd want to know how Kwest was really feeling.

"Not if you're not coming with me," Tommy said, taking my hand and pulling me with him.

I glanced back at Sadie, who gave her a look that screamed, "No, don't leave me here with these immature teenage children!" In response, I shrugged my shoulders as if to say,

"Sorry, sis, I can't stay and keep you company. Tommy wants me to come with him."

Sadie glared back, meaning "Fine, be that way, but you're so gonna pay." She ignored my apologetic look and looked the other way, folding her arms in annoyance.

Tommy and I walked down the hallway, and into the room the doctor showed us. I gasped as I saw Kwest lying there, helpless. He was hooked up to several tubes, running all over in every direction. I didn't bother looking down where he had an IV going into his arm. I turned my head before I let the full effect of seeing Kwest hooked up to several tubes make me nauseous.

"Hey man, how are you feeling?" Tommy asked, trying to cover up my lack of courage in looking at him.

"I'm good, man. You?" Kwest sounded a little weak, but I knew he would be after what he went through.

"Never better," Tommy said, looking at me. He pulled me closer to him, and I let his closeness take over. I always felt safe whenever Tommy was close by, and we couldn't be any closer unless we…well, you know. But that's way off topic.

"So, when do the doctors say you can come back?" Tommy wondered.

"If I'm OK, I should be outta here within a week or two. I hate hospitals," Kwest enunciated the last part loudly, hoping to make me feel better."

"Me too," I said automatically, then sighed in relief as Kwest laughed.

"Doesn't that hurt?" I asked curiously, thinking that Kwest laughing with all those tubes in him would cause even more pain.

"Not anymore, not with my best friend around," Kwest said, grinning to show us that he was really OK.

"Aww, thanks Kwest. I'm touched," Tommy said.

"What makes you so sure that I was referring to you?" Kwest joked, smiling.

"Ouch, man. That hurts. To think I spent over 5 years being friends with the same guy, only to be told that I've been replaced by my girl here? That does it, you two must be having an affair," Tommy joked back, grinning.

"Oh yeah, man, all these tubes, I've definitely had Jude come here after hours and spend the night. See right here? And here?" Kwest pointed at imaginary spots in his bed. "Man, we really got it on, didn't we Jude?"

Kwest started laughing, and Tommy joined in.

"Kwest, stop laughing before you hurt yourself," I said, knowing exactly how having needles in you must hurt like hell. And by the way he was laughing, I'm sure he was causing some massive bleeding that could be stopped, but he'd have to stop laughing, otherwise he'd probably end up passing out.

They stopped for a second, mulling over what I just said, then cracked up even harder.

"Man, you've got a great one," Kwest said, clutching his sides.

"No way, man, I've got the best," Tommy said, then quickly added, as Kwest glared at him for thinking I was better than Sadie. "Then again, so do you."

"Tommy, do you think we should let Kwest rest?" I said, not wanting to stress Kwest out further.

"Kwest man? We can leave if you want," Tommy said, not wanting to go.

"Yeah, I probably should. Before those boys come bursting in here and start wreaking havoc on me. Knowing them, I'd probably say they've messed up everything out there. Look both ways before you step out there, OK? They'll probably try and jump you guys."

I shot a look back at Kwest, who was trying not to laugh any harder. Tommy was smiling, and I knew that at any second, he'd start laughing too.

"Come on Tommy Q, time for us to go home," I pulled Tommy behind me, as Kwest laughed harder.

"Night, guys," Kwest said. "Tommy, can you turn out the lights for me?"

"You got it, man," Tommy said, switching the lights to the off position.

As we stepped outside, we heard the intercom go off.

_Visiting hours are over in 10 minutes. All visitors should leave via the elevator, which will take them down to the parking level. The parking garage will close in 10 minutes, after which the gates will be put up, and everything locked up. Have a good night!_

"All right, guys, time to go home," I said, not minding the verbal onslaught I knew I'd get.

"But we didn't even get a chance to see him," Speed said. He and Kwest had gotten to know one another when SME switched over to Kwest after one of my many arguments with Tommy.

"Don't worry, you'll see him sooner than you think," Tommy promised. "Come on, let's go home. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day for us."

"OK, dude," Wally said. SME trailed behind Tommy and me, with Sadie leading the way.

"Jude, why don't you ride with Sadie, and I'll take the guys," Tommy said. He can be so thoughtful sometimes.

"Are you sure? You're OK with them?" I wondered.

"Yeah, I'm good. See you back at the house," Tommy said, bending down and kissing me deeply.

He broke off the kiss way too soon, then trudged toward his H3.

I motioned for Sadie to get in the Viper, and she arched her eyebrows in surprise.

"Is Tommy taking SME with him?" Sadie said, a little breathlessly.

"Yeah, I guess tonight's your lucky night," I replied, smiling.

"Good. Jude, don't tell the guys this, but I'm sick of them already." Sadie said, clearly annoyed.

"Come on, Sades, where are they going to stay? Their parents kicked them out, they have no money…" Sadie interrupted, probably with a laugh which was covered by a cough, "…just a few more nights, until they can get back on their own?"

"OK, since I don't have any choice, and because they're your backup band, they can stay," Sadie conceded.

"Thank you!" I squealed, knowing it'd eventually make her snap.

"Jude, watch the road!" Sadie yelled, even though there were no cars out at this time of night.

"Sades, calm down," I commanded. "Do you think I'd be so careless? Besides, Tommy said I'd have to pay if I so much as scratched any part of his Viper. You know how much a dent in a car door costs?" I really had no idea, but I'm sure it'd be at least 3 times as much as any major dent in an average-priced car.

"I'm surprised Tommy even let you drive his Viper. Especially since you're not as good a driver as I am," Sadie boasted.

"Yeah, I'm sure he let you drive his Viper when you guys were dating years ago," I rolled my eyes as Sadie fell silent. I looked over at her, and saw that she looked sad.

"Hey, are you OK?" I wanted to know.

"I'm fine," Sadie snapped. Then her expression changed. "I'm just worried about Kwest, that's all."

"Sadie, you heard it from Kwest. He's fine, and he'll be out in a week or so," I repeated what Kwest had said earlier.

"Yeah, but I don't know if I can stand it anymore," Sadie said. "Jude, how would you feel if something happened to Tommy, and he was in the hospital for a week or more?"

I braked hard as I pulled off the road. "Jude!" Sadie shrieked, more out of surprise than of fear.

"I think I'd be feeling what you're feeling," I admitted. I hated the thought of Tommy being hurt, or even worse, and I didn't want to think about it anymore, so I pushed it out of my mind. "Sadie don't worry, OK? I'm here for you, so whatever it is, I'll be there with you every step of the way, OK?

"Welcome to my world," Sadie muttered under her breath, while I was telling her not to worry. Then her eyes widened as I hugged her. "Thanks, Jude, you always know how to make me feel better."

"Anytime, but this stays between us," I prompted. I didn't want Tommy or the guys to know about my sister and I bonding. Then I'd never hear the end of it.

"Let's go home," I said, and Sadie nodded before she laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

I pulled back onto the road, and minutes later, we arrived back at the house.

AN:So what do you think?I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions. I don't want to write something that isn't worth reading, so let me know what I can do to make this story better. And the only way I can do that is if you tell me what you want to have happen. So, please review, and I'll make the next chapter even better, I promise.


	16. Chapter 16

AN: Thank you Shannon, Kristine, Rachel, and gc rocker gal 13 (I really wish I knew your name so I could thank you personally) for reviewing. Anyway, I tried my best to use your suggestions, so I hope you like it.

Warning: This chapter is strictly rated M, so if you aren't old enough to read this (I assume everyone reading this is), you have been warned. For the rest of you who are still reading, here you go!

Chapter 16: In the Shadows

Once we got back to Sadie's house, she split us up into separate rooms. I would be sleeping in her room, Tommy and Speed would be rooming together (which they both groaned about in mock protest), and Kyle and Wally would be staying in the same room. She also ordered, much to SME's shock, that lights would be off by 11:00 p.m., no exceptions. I tuned out SME arguing with Sadie about how we're all practically adults here, and musicians need to stay up in the event that inspiration strikes. My sister, who didn't miss a beat, replied, "If inspiration strikes at 3 in the morning, I won't be responsible for murdering you guys in the middle of your jam session."

Not to be unnoticed, Kyle spoke up, "She's right, guys, we're not on tour, so we have to sleep normal people's hours."

"Dude, sucking up much?" Wally said, as Speed made kissy faces at him. Kyle instantly fell silent, and glared at them while Sadie looked curiously at him.

"Just ignore them," Kyle said through clenched teeth. "Night, Sadie." He pretended as if they weren't even there. "Night Jude, Tommy."

"Night, Kyle," Sadie said, wondering what was up with him.

"Night, Kyle," Tommy and I said in turn.

"Sadie, I think I'll head up too," I said, as I let out a huge yawn.

"Yeah, me too," Tommy said. "Come on, Jude."

"Hold on, Tommy. You're not going to sleep with Jude, not in my house."

"Sades, relax. I'm just going to say good night, I promise," Tommy looked at her innocently, holding up his hands.

"OK, but I'm coming up in a minute, and I don't want to see you on top of her in my bed, got it?" Sadie could be possessive when she wanted to be, and Tommy and I both knew that from first-hand experience.

"Whatever you say, ma'am," Tommy grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.

We climbed up the stairs in silence, and I led Tommy to my sister's room. Before I could go in, Tommy leaned over and captured my lips in a heartstopping kiss that previously would melt the hearts of all Tommy Q fans around the world. We kissed intensely for what seemed like seconds, only by the time we broke apart, both of us were breathing pretty hard. Then Tommy looked both ways before he leaned over to whisper in my ear, "I'll be coming in later tonight, just give me a few hours." I nodded mutely as he kissed me again, and said, "Night, Jude, I love you."

"I love you too, Tommy," I responded, wondering what he meant by that. Tommy walked over to his and Speed's room, and Sadie came up just then, looking at the both of us to see if we were up to something. Eventually, by the looks of it, she was satisfied, and we headed off to bed.

Around 4:30 in the morning, I awoke as I heard someone come in. "Shh, Jude, it's me, Tommy," he said as he kissed me. Then he pulled me up and out of bed, and led me outside. "Tommy, do you know what time it is?" I said. I was so not a morning person, and waking up at 4:30 is just insane.

"Yeah, it's our time," Tommy whispered, straining to hear the sounds of sleeping in the other rooms. I could hear snoring coming from Speed's, Kyle's and Wally's room, and I knew that although Sadie didn't snore, she also wasn't a light sleeper like I was. So they were all out cold, and Tommy wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he led me downstairs to the living room.

As I walked inside, I saw a few candles lit on an end table, and blankets spread on the floor by the fireplace.

"Tommy, did you-?" I asked stupidly. Tommy nodded silently, then took me up in another earth-shattering kiss. This time, it was full of passion and love, and I couldn't think as he gently guided me down to the floor. After a few minutes of making out, I started taking off his shirt, and we broke apart only to remove one another's clothes. Once we had finished stripping one another, Tommy kissed me again, then stopped.

"Jude, wait," Tommy said uncertainly, even though I could see the desire gleaming in his eyes. He looked away for a second. Was Tommy going to regret this?

"Tommy, what is it?" I wondered.

He fumbled around in his pants pocket, which was strewn across from us. He pulled out a condom, and slipped it on.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tommy asked. I loved how he was always putting my desires before his.

"I couldn't be more sure of anything in my life," I answered simply, before I let Tommy take control.

He propped himself up on his elbows, and I could tell he was trying not to put more pressure on me. Then he kissed me as he drove slowly into me, so that neither of us would make noise enough to wake up the others.

I felt him enter, and as he was moving slowly, it didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. Once he was in as far as he could go, he pulled out enough so that he could come in and out slowly. Every movement he made brought more pleasure to me, and I bit back my screams of pleasure so that he could continue.

Finally, Tommy collapsed on me, and I knew it was because he was holding back. I knew he had wanted to take me harder and faster, and the way we made love had drained him physically and emotionally.

We awoke to the sun peeping out just over the horizon, and noticed that no one was up yet.

"Morning, love," Tommy said, kissing me awake.

"Morning," I murmured, wrapping my arms around him. "Wanna take a shower?"

"After you," Tommy smiled, and we grabbed our clothes.

We went into the bathroom, and stepped into the shower. Tommy turned the water on, and we waited a minute as we took turns getting wet. Then he started rubbing the soap all over my arms, my legs, my breasts, my butt. He made sure to kiss each part of my anatomy as soon as the soap was washed off. Then I turned around and he did the same with my back, only this time, he let his hands wander all over, rubbing gently and making my head swirl. Then I turned back around and faced him, as his eyes swam over the sight of my body all uncovered for him.

"See anything you like, Quincy?" I teased Tommy as he bit back a groan.

"Yeah, all of it," Tommy grabbed me roughly and pushed me up against the wall. He kissed me brutally before sliding me up a little, then he pulled me back down as he entered.

"Tommy…" I moaned, as the water drowned out my cry.

"Jude…" Tommy also moaned in ecstasy.

The hot water ran over our bodies as our lips met in a slow heated kiss. Our hands roamed over our wet bodies, and we slid our arms around one another to pull each other closer.

Our tongues did a slow tango, pulling apart only to meet again and again as our kiss deepened and grew more passionately urgent. Tommy's hands caressed my soft breasts, pulling my nipples softly, then more firmly. I moaned as Tommy buried his head in my neck, softly kissing my neck and shoulders, and finally down to my breasts. My hands slid from around his back up to his hair, and I threaded my hands through his wet matted hair. I tightened my grip in Tommy's hair as he took one of my nipples into his mouth, sucking it slowly, and allowed his tongue to tease it. At the same time, his hand came down to toy with my other nipple, and his fingers massaged it like no other feeling in the world.

Tommy continued to suck on my breasts, moving from one nipple to the other, until they were both painfully erect. Then he stopped and looked into my eyes. I could see they were as full of need as mine was. He grinned, running his fingertips up along my calves, my thighs, and tenderly over her hips, as he kissed his way up to my neck. Over my stomach, then around my breasts, and finally on my neck, eliciting my constant moans of urgency.

I slid my hands down Tommy's back, until he clasped my hands in his and brought them up to his face. Then I pressed against him, as I desperately tried to pull him closer to me. I leaned in and kissed him briefly, before stepping back and removing his hands from mine. I grabbed his shoulders and gently turned him around.

As he turned his back to me, I slid my arms around his waist, and pressed my full weight into him. He groaned in pleasure as he felt my breasts pressing into his back, and leaned back into me, obviously enjoying the feeling. I began kissing his neck as he turned around and grabbed my already taut nipples.

Rather suddenly, Tommy let go of my breasts and slid them down to my hips, guiding me back to the shower wall. Laughing softly, he grabbed my wrists, and pinned my arms while kissing my shoulder softly. "It's my turn now," he whispered, his voice thick with arousal. I moaned deeply, and strained to yank my arms free from his grip.

Tommy leaned in, and said, "I'm going to let go, Jude, but if you move your arms at all, I'll stop, OK?" He said this while roaming his hands down my back and before switching directions and moving up toward my hips.

"Don't stop," I choked out. Every part of me was screaming out, begging for his touch.

"OK," Tommy slid his hands up to my back, and took me up in another mind-shattering kiss. That man was born to make love, and he was mine. All mine. He wrapped my arms around me as he pushed me up against the wall, hungrily attacking my mouth with his own. I moaned his name softly, and stopped when I felt Tommy suddenly, and rather roughly, enter me.

"Oh, god," I moaned hoarsely as he thrust in and out. He clasped my hands tightly above my head, and he continued to slide into me, ramming himself into me as hard as he could.

My moans, although getting louder than when we started, was still not loud enough to drown out the sound of the shower at full blast. Tommy rocked his hips up and down as he entered and pulled out repeatedly. My breathing became shallow as I felt Tommy push harder and deeper inside me. "Tommy!" I screamed as he kissed me again and again. I was in heaven, as was Tommy, judging from the look in his face. Tommy continued his relentless onslaught on my body, and I responded eagerly as I hadn't known that my body could be so accommodating.

Tommy's kisses were enough to heat the coldest room, and he let his lips roam over my neck, shoulders, and back, over and over again. He also thrust repeatedly into me, and countless moans escaped both of us before we finally felt sated. Finally exhausted, I flew into his arms and kissed him, before he grasped my hands, guided them to pick up the soap, which had fallen on the floor, and guided it across his body. I grinned as I pulled Tommy closer. Now it was my turn to have some fun…

AN: I hope my latest chapter wasn't too steamy for you. I wanted to put some Jommy moments in, and this seemed like the perfect time. So, what do you think? Everyone who's reviewed so far has been so encouraging, I felt it was time to give back a bit. I hope you enjoyed reading this, almost as much as I enjoyed writing it. I just wish they could show something like this on TV (it still wouldn't be as go-thereiest as Degrassi, but unfortunately, there are probably restrictions because of the audience's age range). But if I had the power to control what happens on Instant Star, this is how I would have it. Anyone with me?


	17. Chapter 17

AN: OMG! I can't believe you guys, you're the greatest reviewers in the history of the fanfic universe! Thanks to Kristine, iluvtommyq, Kerilyn, Petra, Shannon, qc rocker gal, and Chloe. Now I know to give you way more Jommy moments (even though I'm more partial to sad endings).

Special ANs: Petra, I'm so with you on that. I couldn't even write this while my mom was in the room (she gets this eerie sense whenever I'm doing what I'm not supposed to). I don't know how she does it, it's just some freaky mom radar or something.

iluvtommyq, no, they didn't. I'm sure the one that Tommy used was completely worn out by the time he and Jude woke up in the living room. I'm thinking about going back to this in a future chapter. Do you think I should?

Shannon, I'm not exactly sure what you meant by ". . .but I little bit more . . . edited. Lol." Did you mean that you thought it sounded a little bit edited? Or did you mean something else?

OK, that's it for now. On with the show, er, I mean, story.

Chapter 17 – The Longest Day Ever (Part 1)

Tommy moaned as I rubbed the soap over his body. I could feel every part of him tensing under my touch, and it was enough to tip us both over the edge. He grabbed my wrist, stopping my lathering motion, and took the soap from my hand. I pouted, since I wanted to be the one in control this time, and he wasn't letting me. So I looped my arms around his back and pulled him closer to me. Our lips met, and it was as if the earth stopped moving. The only thing that mattered was that we were here, together, and no one could take that away from us. Tommy crouched down, his lips never once leaving mine, and guided my hips toward his. He pulled me down on top of him, and I gasped as I felt him enter me. He grinned devilishly, and clutched me closer to him. He drove in and out of me repeatedly, and our bodies never lost contact with one another. We climaxed at about the same time, and as we fought to regain our breaths, couldn't stop staring lovingly at one another.

Afterwards, I was still tingling from my previous orgasms, and I shuddered each time I recalled how he had thrust into me. Both times we were rendered speechless, which wasn't so hard, considering that our mouths were momentarily busy. But we could do nothing but moan our pleasure, and come together faster as our hips met over and over. Our moans turned to grunts as we sped up and crashed into each other harder and more passionately. I remembered feeling him explode inside me, and I responded by gripping him closer. His touch sent chills and electric shocks throughout my body. And we finally collapsed against each other, eventually drifting off to sleep in each other's arms.

I awoke to find Tommy's arms wrapped protectively around me, with nothing between the two of us. I didn't want to move, and I felt his steady breathing tickling my arm. I trailed kisses along the side of Tommy's neck affectionately, and proceeded to trail them all the way to his mouth.

I watched as his blue eyes slowly open, and his mouth curve into a slow smile. "Morning, beautiful," he said, blinking a few times to get the sleep out of his eyes. He pulled me even closer.

"Morning," I said. Tommy always told me he wasn't a morning person, so why was he lying there smiling?

"What time is it?" Tommy said, his eyes still groggy from sleep.

I looked over at the clock on our end table. "It's 6!5."

"Damn," Tommy said.

"What? Are we late?" I panicked. I was famous for being late, but Tommy couldn't afford to be late, especially since he was taking over Kwest's work.

"No, it's just…" Tommy smiled wickedly and paused for dramatic effect. "We won't be able to, you know, since we've got to be there by 7:00."

"Oh," I said, disappointed. "I guess we'd better get up then."

"Not yet," Tommy said, stopping me before I could roll out of bed.

"We really should-" I said, before Tommy cut me off by kissing me. We started to make love urgently for the third time in one night. We came hard and lay there, our sweat drenched bodies still as one.

"Jude, Tommy, guys! Time to get up!" Sadie bellowed, pounding on each of our doors. Since we were downstairs, we opted to take the back staircase. We reluctantly said goodbye as we parted.

"Bye," I said softly.

"Bye," He answered with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," I said softly. I wanted more, but Tommy knew our time was almost up.

"I'll see you tonight," he said, kissing my neck. "Although he was still hard, he groaned and pulled out of me.

I smiled and kissed him soundly.

"Come on people, we're going to be late! We've got half an hour before we have to be there, so MOVE IT ALREADY!" Sadie started pounding on my door, not hearing anything, and Tommy winced as I pulled him up and pushed him toward the stairs.

Once we got upstairs, I saw the guys slowly leave their room. I seized the opportunity to shove Tommy toward the bathroom, as I slipped into my room to pull on my bathrobe. Then I opened the door as Sadie was about to blast her voice at full volume again.

"Sadie, stop. I'm up already. You don't have to blast your lungs at me, OK?" I said, pretending to be irritated. She made a face at me as I pushed her out the door and slammed it in her face. The last glimpse I got of her was when I saw her stick out her tongue at me in retaliation.

I headed into the bathroom, where Tommy had hastily gotten dressed.

"She's gone," I said, putting my arms around Tommy.

"Good," Tommy said, gazing at me lovingly. He bent down and kissed me passionately.

"Dudes, get your asses down here now!" We heard Kyle yell, then the sound of someone being slapped. "Ow! I mean, dudes, get a move on!" We smiled and said, "Sadie".

We walked back to Sadie's room, where I finished getting dressed. It was difficult, since Tommy was looking as if he wanted to rip all my clothes off and take me right there in her bed every time I had finished putting something on. I giggled as I imagined Sadie's disgust at that piece of information. I grabbed his hand and led him to the breakfast room.

"Mmm…Pop-Tarts," I said, as the smell of freshly toasted frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts filled the air. Speed held out a plate of them, expecting me to grab one or two, and the guys were astonished when I grabbed the plate out of their hands and started wolfing them down.

"Hey! What are we supposed to eat?" Wally asked, as I was busily cramming them down my throat as fast as I could chew them.

Tommy laughed at my appetite for Pop-Tarts, and also because Sadie said, "Sorry guys, you don't have time to eat. Just grab something and eat on the way."

Speed grabbed a box of Oreo cookies, Kyle grabbed some graham crackers, and Wally grabbed some candy bars out of the pantry.

"Tommy, don't you want anything to eat?" Sadie asked, looking puzzled.

"Thanks, but I'll just have a strawberry Pop-Tart," Tommy said, looking at me.

"Dude, you're too late. She ate 'em all." Wally said, pointing at the empty box.

"Not quite," Tommy grinned, as he bent down and kissed me in front of them.

"Dude, that's nasty," Wally said, as the guys moaned in horror. Speed covered his eyes and yelled, "Eww," while Kyle laughed hysterically at them. Wally unwrapped the cover of one of the candy bars he was holding. He tossed the empty wrapper on the counter, and Sadie cleared her throat as she looked at him pointedly. "What?" he said, completely clueless.

Sadie looked annoyed, then picked up the wrapper and held it away from her as much as she could. She dropped it into the garbage can, and to purposely ignore Wally, she said, "Jude, you might want to clean yourself off before we leave, 'cuz I'm not taking you around with crumbs all over your face." She smirked as I glared at her.

"Sadie, you're right, I missed a couple more spots," Tommy said, bending down toward me again. I stood on my tiptoes as he brushed the crumbs off with his mouth, then took my mouth with his. His arms snaked around my back, holding me close, and as I looped my arms around his neck, we started making out. Sadie groaned as she covered her face in embarrassment.

"Um, Tommy, don't you think you and Jude are showing a little too much PDA?" Sadie said crossly.

"Not at all," Kyle said, holding up an imaginary microphone. Speaking in a grossly exaggerated British accent, he said, "Sadie dahling, meet Mr. and Mrs. Connected-at-the-Lips."

"And everywhere else, too," muttered Speed. Was he still jealous? I looked over at him, and he winked at us, smiling back.

My POV: Good, there's one less thing to worry about.

"OMG! Sadie shrieked, glancing at the clock. "It's 6:45! Come on!" And without thinking, she grabbed Wally's hand and practically dragged him out the door. Wally looked back, with fear in his eyes, and mouthed the words, "Help me!"

Kyle was staring daggers at Wally, and the rest of us trailed behind them.

On the way there, Sadie ranted on and on about how she was trying to make a good impression on Georgia, so that she could get a job at G Major. But since we'd be late, she worried that Georgia was going to take it out on her, and that the price would be her position. The rest of us were either too preoccupied with eating, among other things, and only Kyle paid any attention to her, taking in every word she said.

"Dude, give it up," Speed commanded. "Just remember one word: Kwest." He laughed as Kyle looked sadly at him, then was temporarily mesmerized when Wally threw a Victoria's Secret magazine at him.

"Whoa…" Kyle said, his mouth hanging open as he flipped each page. I turned and saw Tommy doing the same, only he was staring right at me. My cheeks flushed, and I smiled sweetly at him, knowing he was imagining taking me up in his arms, and kissing me until we were both breathless.

On the way, none of us said very much, but Tommy spent most of his time driving with one hand and holding my hand with the other. We got to G Major as fast as we could, and by the time we got there, E.J. was standing in the middle of the lobby, tapping her foot impatiently.

"What took you so long?" E.J. was more annoyed than worried that something had happened to us. "Come on, Georgia's waiting for you guys." She practically dragged us all into Georgia's office, and waited for Georgia to blow her top.

"Good, you're all here," Georgia said, surprisingly calm.

E.J. looked at her as if to say, "Why aren't you furious with them? They're late!"

"E.J., enough," Georgia said tiredly. She rubbed her eyes. "OK, since Kwest will be out indefinitely, Tommy, you'll be taking over most of his responsibilities. Jude, while Tommy isn't working with you, I want you to come up with as many songs as you can, so that you'll have something to work with when you do work with him. Guys, I want you to collaborate with Jude and work on your lyrics. Sadie, I'll meet with you right after they leave. Am I clear?"

"Crystal," Tommy said, as the guys were still wondering what Georgia meant by "…collaborating with Jude." Tommy smirked as he realized what their confused expressions were all about, and he couldn't resist as he leaned over and whispered, "It means, work with Jude. You know, you come up with something, Jude comes up with something, and you all put it together."

"Oh, so why didn't she just say that in the first place?" Wally said. The guys nodded, and it took every ounce of willpower Tommy had not to laugh. I saw what was going on, and elbowed Tommy in the ribs to keep him from laughing.

"OK, I'll see you later," Tommy said, as he bent down and kissed me goodbye. "Bye girl."

"Bye Tommy," I said, as I watched his retreating figure.

I ignored the guys murmurs of "Aww…", and got to work.

Several hours later, it was time to show Tommy what we'd come up with.

"Hey," Tommy said huskily, as he patted his lap for me to sit in.

"Hey yourself," I said, smiling as we kissed.

"So, what do you have?" Tommy asked, barely concealing his excitement.

I showed him what we'd written, and he nodded his head in approval. "This is good. Really good." He passed the sheets around to everyone, and they glanced at the chord progressions, mentally playing it to get an idea of what it would sound like. Tommy paused, then said, "This needs a backup guitar."

I imagined what it would sound like the way Tommy suggested, and had to admit, he was the best at figuring out what sounded the best.

"OK, let's try it then," I said, standing up and slipping my guitar over my head. The guys did the same, as Kyle sat down behind the drums.

"White Lines, take 1," Tommy said, as he fixed his eyes on me.

I felt the music course through my fingers, and onto the strings of my guitar, as my emotions ran deep. I felt every syllable, every word, come alive. It was almost as if the song were writing itself, and everything that came out was exactly as it was supposed to.

The guys played along pretty well, and only made a couple of mistakes coming in, or playing the wrong note. Overall, it was a good first take, and only needed a little bit of tweaking to get it just right.

"Jude, that was amazing," Tommy said, awestruck. He grinned at me, and I felt my insides turning to mush and my knees go weak. I smiled, stunned that he had nothing to criticize me about.

"Of course you have to say that, just look at you, mooning over your artist," Georgia commented from the doorway. She had snuck in while we were recording, and had heard the last 2 minutes of it.

Tommy and I looked at her in shock, wondering why she said that.

She smiled as she said, "It's just an observation. I mean, you two couldn't keep your eyes off of each other if your lives depended on it. Why don't you two take a break? Judging from what I just heard, you've earned it. In fact, why don't you all take a break?" Georgia smiled as the guys cheered, then Speed grabbed his football out of his duffel bag, and the guys ran outside for an impromptu game of touch football.

Meanwhile, Tommy and I were looking at one another, not saying a word.

"Um, I think I hear my phone ringing," Georgia said, trying to get our attention. It didn't work. "Why do I bother?" She threw up her hands and chuckled as she walked out the door.

"You really think so?" I asked, still stunned by Tommy's comment that I rocked.

Tommy gazed deeply into my eyes, and I could see he was being truthful. "Absolutely," he said, drawing me into his embrace.

"I couldn't have done it without you," I said, trying to be modest.

"True," Tommy said, trying to keep a straight face. He pretended to wince in pain as I elbowed him in the stomach.

"Just kidding, Jude. You're getting to the point where you don't need me anymore. Pretty soon, I'll be wasting away, while you'll be gaining fans all around the world, moving toward the top of your rockstar career."

"There's no way I'll ever let that happen. We're a team, right?"

"In and out of the studio," whispered Tommy, as I grabbed him and pushed him to the edge of the soundboard. He moaned in pleasure as I took his lips with mine. Just then, I heard someone knock on the door.

AN: I know, I'm evil, aren't I? As Petra would say, "Mwahahahaha!" (I know I'm ripping off her evil laugh, but I just thought it was so funny! Soooo, what did you all think? What do you want to have happen? Tell me! I want to know! Please and thank you!


	18. Chapter 18

AN: OMG! I can't believe you guys. Seriously, you guys are the best reviewers in the history of the fanfic universe! Thanks to you, I'm now on 11 people's favorite stories lists, and 19 people's story alert lists. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've decided to do special ANs to everyone who reviews.

Special ANs:

Kristen, I'm so glad you like my fanfic, and I'm so glad you reviewed. Your comments really mean a lot, since you're an awesome writer. I just wish more people reviewed my stories as much as they do yours. But I guess that's because I don't have much time to write them as well as I could, since I have summer school, and now a job (which my parents made me get so that I wouldn't waste my time doing nothing). But don't mind my rambling. Just ignore it ('cuz I love to ramble. I could go on, and on, and on… :o). )

Arabelle, thanks for reviewing. You gave me a great idea.

Shannon and xtaintedxlovex16, your wish is my command. Enjoy!

Petra, thanks for always making me laugh. Your comments brought a smile to my face (after finding out that I wouldn't have that much time to write now that I'm forced to have a job, in addition to summer school. Can this summer get any worse?)

cecapo3610, thanks for your compliment. I'll try and keep it up.

Rachel, I have to admit, you're absolutely right. So here you go.

OK, that's it for now. On with the show, er, I mean, story.

Previously:

"Jude, that was amazing," Tommy said, awestruck. He grinned at me, and I felt my insides turning to mush and my knees go weak. I smiled, stunned that he had nothing to criticize me about.

"You really think so?" I asked, still stunned by Tommy's comment that I rocked.

Tommy gazed deeply into my eyes, and I could see he was being truthful. "Absolutely," he said, drawing me into his embrace.

"I couldn't have done it without you," I said, trying to be modest. "We're a team, right?"

"In and out of the studio," whispered Tommy, as I grabbed him and pushed him to the edge of the soundboard. He moaned in pleasure as I took his lips with mine. Just then, I heard someone knock on the door.

Chapter 18: The Longest Day (Part 2)

"What?" I barked out, hating to be interrupted when I was just about to get it on with Tommy.

"Oh, was I interrupting?" Sadie remarked, smirking. I glared at her briefly before I felt Tommy's hand slip in mine. He stood up, and I could feel the love and support flowing from his body into my own.

"No, actually, we're pretty much done. Georgia gave us the day off, and we're gonna meet up with the guys pretty soon." Tommy said, glancing at me to see if I agreed with him. I smiled and gave a slight nod, and Sadie looked worried.

"You're not thinking of coming back to hang out in my yard, are you?" Sadie said hesitantly.

"Why? What is it?" I asked, hoping we hadn't ruined her backyard as much as I remembered we did.

"I need to replace those flowers the guys ran all over, and clean up the mess you guys made. There's water everywhere, and it's not gonna clean itself. Plus, the guys went in the pool, and that'll take months to clean, since they take showers every century, right?" Sadie didn't wait for my response, and said, "Anyway, I have to go to pick Kwest up. Why don't you go down to the beach by the house? It's pretty deserted this time of day. Who knows? Maybe Kwest will feel well enough to go down there to see the sun set." Then she rushed off, leaving Tommy and I to ourselves.

"Mmm…sounds like a great idea," Tommy said. "All we need are a couple blankets, some food…"

"Some Pop-Tarts…" I added, before I could stop myself. Tommy burst out laughing, and I couldn't help but stare at him. "What's wrong with eating Pop-Tarts?"

"Nothing," Tommy said, putting his arms up in mock defense. "It's just that…is that all you eat?" He started laughing again, as I said, "Quincy, shut it."

Tommy smiled, and gazed at me with his piercing blue eyes. "Make me," he challenged, his eyes twinkling.

"Just do it, for me?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him. He clutched his heart and moaned.

"OK," Tommy conceded. "Want to have a picnic on the beach?"

"That would be wonderful," I agreed, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me. We went back to Sadie's place to change and grab a few things to eat. After we had finished changing, the guys got back.

"Hey guys, want to go to the beach with us?" I asked, as Tommy covered his head and groaned. "Shh, they'll hear you."

"What?" Speed yelled. The guys had turned up the stereo as loud as they could, and music was blasting from their room.

Tommy whined, "I don't want them to spoil our meal. They'll get sand all over our food, and disturb us every second of every minute we're there."

"Not if I can help it," I assured him. Then I yelled back to Speed, "I said, want to go to the beach?"

"OH. YEAH DUDE, GREAT IDEA!" Speed bellowed over the radio. He must have turned down the volume for a second, then I heard Kyle and Wally whoop and burst out of their room. They started bopping their heads in time to the music, while dancing around and crashing into one another.

"OK, WE'LL MEET YOU THERE!" Tommy shouted, and grabbed my hand, leading me to the kitchen.

I searched around for a basket to take with us, which wasn't that difficult to find, since Sadie loved arranging flower baskets. I took out some of the flowers out of one basket, then threw them in the sink, which I'd plugged up and let the water run until it was covering their roots.

Meanwhile, Tommy was busy fixing some food for us to bring, and I grabbed my secret stash of Pop-Tarts, since I'd eaten all of Sadie's already.

We left for the beach, and got there while the sun was still high in the sky.

Tommy took out the blanket and set up the area in which we were going to sit, as I attacked the picnic basket with the hunger of a starving woman.

I was just about to reach for the box of Pop-Tarts when I felt a pair of strong arms grab me from behind. "Hey," Tommy murmured into my ear, as I feigned pouting. "Isn't this perfect?" He started kissing my neck, and I forgot everything and everyone around me, except him. I turned around in his lap, and our kisses turned into a major make-out session. I forgot where I was, and who or what was around me. All I could feel was Tommy's lips on mine, his arms wrapped protectively around me, and the weight of his body pressing into mine. Our meal lay forgotten as we rolled around, although the more of Tommy I touched, the more I couldn't get enough him.

We were finally brought back to reality as a volleyball sailed through the air and bonked us on the cheek.

"Hey!" Tommy stood up immediately, looking in the direction from which the ball flew.

"Sorry dudes, Wally served it a little too far," Kyle said, as Wally looked murderous. Speed and Kyle cracked up as Wally's face turned red, and then purple. Wally ran back to the guys, and tackled them, and it ended as quickly as it had started.

"Hey, guys, I have an idea," I said, hoping to distract them for some time. "Why don't you go search for hidden treasure?"

"You mean, like pirate's gold?" Wally asked, looking interested.

"Yeah, you'll never know what you'll find. Money, gold, a hidden treasure map…Anything's possible," I suggested, so that Tommy and I could get back to where we left off.

The guys glanced at one another. "I'm in," Speed said first, as Wally and Kyle echoed a few moments later. "You?"

"Maybe later," Tommy said.

"Yeah, I'll catch up with you later," I said. Tommy and I waited until the guys had walked far enough off out of our sight, and the second we couldn't see them any more, our lips reconnected as if they had never been separated.

I moved so that Tommy would be on top, since I knew he liked to be the one in control, and he lay me down on my back carefully, then attacked my mouth with his own. I moaned as I felt him get hard really fast, and as we worked to remove our clothes, I felt something sharp under me.

"Ouch!" I cried, as Tommy stopped immediately.

"Jude, are you OK?" Tommy said, pulling me up.

"Yeah, I just felt something sharp in my back, that's all," I explained. I started tugging on Tommy's sleeve to get his attention back, but he was too busy shoving everything out of the way. He pulled up the blanket, plunged his hands deep down into the ground, and searched until he hit something.

"I've got it!" Tommy said excitedly.

"What is it? Pull it up already!" I said, wondering what it could be.

Tommy pulled hard on the object, and it came up to the surface. His eyes widened as he saw what it was, and was trying to stuff it back down again.

"It's nothing," Tommy said, although I could tell it meant something, since Tommy always looked directly at me when he told me something important.

"Come on, Tommy, just tell me, please?" I said, giving him my pouty face.

"Not this time, Jude, it's over. It doesn't matter anymore," Tommy dropped the subject, but I wasn't done with it yet.

"OK, if you say so. I feigned being thirsty, and said, "Can you reach over and pour me some juice?" I said, hoping I could get a good look at it before he finished pouring.

"Aww, anything for my Jude," Tommy said, doing exactly as I'd hoped. When he had the pitcher out and was starting to pour, I seized my chance and grabbed the paper.

"Jude, don't," Tommy said, quickly setting the juice down as he tried to grab it away from me.

"Come on, Tommy, what's wrong. You said it doesn't matter, so why can't I look at it?" My answer came as I read what was scrawled on the page.

_Dear Mr. Quincy,_

_We regret to inform you that we cannot loan you the amount you requested. Our bank is in dire need of repairs, and with the rising costs of construction, we cannot loan such a great amount to any of our clients, even one as well-known in the community as yourself. If you have any further questions, or would like to contact us about this, please reach me via email. Thank you for your time, and I hope this does not reflect poorly on your decision to continue banking with us._

_Sincerely,_

_Your local HSBC Canada branch_

"Tommy, what happened?" I said, knowing I could help Tommy if he didn't push me away this time.

"I…I just ran into some problems, that's all," Tommy said, looking down at the ground instead of at me.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I said, wishing with all my heart that Tommy wouldn't decline my offer.

"No," Tommy said, a little more harshly than I knew he meant. Without another word, I patted his shoulder gently, and it was a few more moments before he spoke again. "It's just, my family moved into our house, and I was trying to fix all the damages to their house, while trying to find us a separate place to live, and…"

"How bad is it?" I said, not daring to look at him.

"Jude, I'm damn near broke," Tommy said, tears starting to spill from his eyes. "I mean, we have enough to live from day to day, but I can't keep up with rent or anything."

"Tommy, we don't have to pay Sadie rent, she's my sister, and Kwest's your best friend," I tried to assure him, although I wasn't as confident as I tried to sound.

"Yeah, plus I feel partly responsible for Kwest being in the hospital, I mean, he's there, and I couldn't do anything to stop it," Tommy started crying softly. I knew Tommy never cried, so I figured it was because he was really tense from his situation.

"Tommy, look at me," I said, grabbing his face in my hands and pulling him up to eye level with me. "We're a team, remember? So whatever you're feeling, don't. I'm right here with you. We'll manage, OK? I can work part-time whenever I'm not recording, and whatever I make I'll put toward getting your family and us back on our feet in no time.

"I don't know, Jude, I just feel like I should be the one taking care of you, not the other way around," Tommy said, finally regaining control of his emotions.

"Look who's the adult now," I said, hoping to make him smile. It worked.

"Yeah, look at you, all grown up and taking care of her former boyband member of a boyfriend, who's falling to pieces over a problem and who can't keep himself together." Tommy looked at me proudly, as I remarked, "Yeah, I'm here to pick up the pieces and put you back together again." Tommy groaned as I sang back the lyrics of one of his old Boyz Attack songs, and hugged him. "You know something, Tommy?" I asked, leaning back on his chest.

"What?" Tommy said, wrapping his arms around me.

"No matter what happens, we'll get through it just fine. As long as we're together, we'll be able to face anything," I said, letting the rays of the sun seep into my pores as it gently lulled me to sleep.

"Yeah, I couldn't agree more," Tommy said, as we lay there by the shore.

We were awoken by cold water splashing down on us. I opened my eyes, and squinted as the sun was too bright for me to look at.

"Hey!" I mumbled, as I wiped the sleep out of my eyes.

"Dudes, guess what I found!" Kyle said, not noticing the glares coming from both me and Tommy. "I found this abandoned crate, and it's filled with money! Lots and lots! Come on!" He yanked us both up, and dragged us, moaning the whole way, to where he found it.

"See what I mean?" Kyle said, pulling the crate out from where he had hidden it. He pried open a corner of the box, and as I peered into its contents, I saw something sparkling inside.

Tommy whipped out his Swiss Army knife, which he had also added other tools like a mini screwdriver set, among other things. "Let me see that," Tommy commanded, as the guys stepped aside. Tommy used his set to unscrew the crate. It wasn't long before we'd gotten the cover off. Inside were shiny gems and jewels, and a whole lot of money like I'd never seen before.

"Damn," Tommy said, shaking his head at the sight.

"Yeah, you're right," I said, agreeing with him. "Shouldn't we give this to the police for someone to claim?"

"No way, I found it, and it's mine," Kyle insisted.

"Uh, Kyle, I think this money should go back to whoever lost it." I said, urging him to do the right thing.

"Yeah, and you'll probably get a good part of it as a reward if you do," Speed said.

"Will we get some too?" Wally asked, as Kyle laughed at him. "Hey, I just thought I'd ask. Guess you haven't gotten it on with anyone, have you?"

"For your information, I did meet this girl. We were about to get it on, before her boyfriend came along," Kyle said, purposely avoiding my eyes. Was he referring to Sadie, or someone else? I shook my head as if to clear my thoughts, and I saw Speed and Wally laughing hysterically at him. "Dude, no way!" they said, and cracked up again.

"Whatever, dudes," Kyle mumbled. He paused, then said, "Wait a sec."

"What? What happened?" Wally asked, wondering what was up with Kyle.

"Remember how we went to Madame Esmeralda? And she told us each of our fortunes? She said that Jude managed to stay strong, even when she was heartbroken, and that

Speed loves to play jokes on people, and that he pretends to be something he's not. And she told me that I shouldn't go through with whatever I was planning to do, and that I'd hit the jackpot. And I did!"

"Yeah, you're right," I realized. I thought back to when she told Tommy he had secrets that he hadn't told anyone, not even me, and she also said he would lose a lot of money. Maybe she really could tell people's fortunes. There was only one way to find out. We had to go back and see her. Tonight.

AN: So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? Let me know by reviewing. Should I make this a 3-parter (Chapter 17-19 (Parts 1, 2, and 3)? Give me suggestions, and I will do as you wish.


	19. Chapter 19

AN: OMG! I can't believe you guys. Seriously, you guys are the best reviewers in the history of the fanfic universe! Thanks to you, I'm now on 22 people's story alert lists (which went up from last time). Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've decided to do special ANs to everyone who reviews.

Special ANs:

Cecapo3610, I'm so glad you love my fanfic, and I'm so glad you reviewed. I was thinking about putting this on hiatus for a couple of days now, but your comments made me rethink my decision.

qc rocker gal 13, I'm glad I keep it interesting enough for you. Let me know if I ever sound blocked or boring, and I'll do whatever it takes to fix it.

Alexis (MG), thanks for your suggestion. And I know I haven't reviewed your fanfic yet, but will you be posting more anytime soon?

Rachel, "Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" Lol (I just watched Cadet Kelly, which explains my weird comment).

Criminal Insanity, I do have to admit, the thought did cross my mind. I guess you'll just have to read this chapter to find out (I know, I'm soooo cruel!)

Shannon, thanks for your compliment. Here you go, enjoy!

Biminigirl15, your wish is my command. On with the show! I mean, story!

Previously:

"OK," Tommy conceded. "Want to have a picnic on the beach?"

"That would be wonderful," I agreed, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind me. We went back to Sadie's place to change and grab a few things to eat. After we had finished changing, the guys got back.

"Hey guys, want to go to the beach with us?" I asked.

"OH. YEAH DUDE, GREAT IDEA!" Speed bellowed over the radio.

"OK, WE'LL MEET YOU THERE!" Tommy shouted, and grabbed my hand.

At the beach:

"Hey, guys, I have an idea," I said, hoping to distract them for some time. "Why don't you go search for hidden treasure?"

"You mean, like pirate's gold?" Wally asked, looking interested.

"Yeah, you'll never know what you'll find. Money, gold, a hidden treasure map…Anything's possible," I suggested.

A little later…

"Dudes, guess what I found!" Kyle said, not noticing the glares coming from both me and Tommy. "I found this abandoned crate, and it's filled with money! Lots and lots! Come on!" He yanked us both up, and dragged us, moaning the whole way, to where he found it.

"See what I mean?" Kyle said, pulling the crate out from where he had hidden it. He pried open a corner of the box, and as I peered into its contents, I saw something sparkling inside.

Tommy whipped out his Swiss Army knife, to which he had also added other tools. "Let me see that," Tommy commanded, as the guys stepped aside. Tommy used his set to unscrew the crate. It wasn't long before we'd gotten the cover off. Inside were shiny gems and jewels, and a whole lot of money like I'd never seen before.

"Damn," Tommy said, shaking his head at the sight.

Kyle paused, then said, "Wait a sec."

"What? What is it?" Wally asked, wondering what was up.

"Remember how we went to Madame Esmeralda? And she told us each of our fortunes? She said that Jude managed to stay strong, even when she was heartbroken, and that Speed loves to play jokes on people, and that he pretends to be something he's not. And she told me that I shouldn't go through with whatever I was planning to do, and that I'd hit the jackpot. And I did!" Kyle looked stunned by the fortuneteller's predictions, which had come true.

"Yeah, you're right," I realized. I thought back to when she told Tommy he had secrets that he hadn't told anyone, not even me, and she also said he would lose a lot of money. Maybe she really could tell people's fortunes. There was only one way to find out. We had to go back and see her. Tonight.

Chapter 19: Illusions, or Reality?

Tommy and I went back to the house, where I left Sadie a note that we were going back to the circus. Then we hopped in our cars, Tommy shooting me a sad parting glance as we got in separate cars (Sadie made us promise that Speed, Wally, and Kyle would remain unable to drive while staying at her place, and that went double for Tommy, who didn't want anyone besides himself (or me) driving his precious little Viper). Wally and Kyle jumped in Tommy's car, and I couldn't help but laugh at Tommy's expression, which quickly changed from a look of pure annoyance to something else. I couldn't place it exactly, but I swore I saw him glance enviously at Speed. Even if it was just for a split second. Then we went on our way.

Once we got there, we jumped out of the car, as we saw the tents coming down, and all the circus people packing up their stuff.

We ran over to the fortune-teller's booth, and burst through the entrance. A young woman around Jude's age looked at us, startled.

"Is Madame Esmeralda here?" Wally said, nervously running his hands over his shirt to smooth it out.

"No, she isn't. Hey, I know you. You're little Tommy Q, and you're Spiederman Mind Explosion," the girl gasped, looking around at us all. "Holy shit, you're Jude Harrison! I have your CD. Could you sign this for me?" She rummaged around for a little bit, then hastily pulled out a crumpled napkin. I smiled politely as she looked embarrassed, then she said, "I would've brought my CD if I'd known you were coming."

"That's OK. What do you want me to write on this?" I said, biting back a smile. She was just like every other fan of mine.

"To my #1 fan, Helene," Helene said, as I wrote as neatly as I could while trying to keep up. "Keep on rockin' girl! Lots of love, Jude Quincy."

I paused as I held my pen poised over the space at the end of my name. I decided to be blunt. "Um, Helene? Tommy and I aren't married." I saw Tommy bite back a laugh out of the corner of my eye. I decided to humor her, and signed my name as Jude Quincy.

"Maybe not, but it's so obvious you two were meant to be together. Guess Grandma was right about you two." Helene said, smiling. Now it was our turn to be shocked.

"Wait, so Madame Esmeralda's your grandma?" Kyle said, putting two and two together.

"Yeah. She couldn't be here tonight, because she wanted to get a feel for the new place, so she always leaves a day earlier than the rest of us. But she told me to tell you that the magic isn't in this place, it's in each of you. No matter what happens to you, you all have control over your destiny. And it's up to each of you to decide what that is. Now, if you'll excuse me…" Helene trailed off, satisfied that she now had a genuine piece of memorabilia from none other than Jude Harrison, punk princess extraordinaire. OK, I know I'm getting way off topic here, so back to the story…

"Wait!" Wally called out, running after her. He disappeared off into the night after making his exit.

"Dude, wait up!" Kyle and Speed yelled. They too took off.

Tommy and I looked at each other for a split second, then also took off running after them.

No sooner had we burst out of the fortune-teller's booth than we ran straight into the guys.

"OW!" The guys yelled, getting knocked over like a row of dominoes.

Helene stood there giggling at all of us, the moonlight reflecting off of her dark hair. "Did you want to ask me something?" she said. Even though we were in the dark, we felt her eyes probe into ours.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about the secrets," Tommy confessed. I heard the guys moving around, and I knew they weren't paying attention, just wrestling one another like they always were.

"Ah, yes. Now I remember," Helene replied. It was eerie how similar she could sound to her grandmother. "Secrets revealed should only be shown to the ones they affect. Does that answer your question?"

"Yes, it does. Thank you," Tommy said, his expression clearing for the first time in a long time. I'd noticed Tommy had been tense for weeks, and although I kept asking him about it, it wasn't until now that it was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Need any help packing up?" Wally offered. Helene laughed, her hair dancing in the breeze. Her laughter sounded like tiny little bells chiming.

"No, but thank you for the offer," Helene smiled a mysterious smile, as Wally looked disappointed.

"Don't be so sad. You'll find love sooner than you think," Helene promised. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish packing everything up."

I nodded, and looked pointedly at the guys, daring any of them to defy me. Surprisingly, they didn't.

"What do you say we call this a night?" Tommy said, putting his arm around me. I snuggled closer to him.

"Dude, you can't be serious. You just want to get in her pants, don't you?" Speed said, as Kyle and Wally exploded with laughter. Speed burst out laughing a second later, as Tommy scowled.

"Don't pay any attention to them, Tommy," I said, taking Tommy's hand in mine. I could feel his muscles relaxing and the urge to flatten the guys fade away.

"Why don't we go visit Kwest?" I pulled Tommy into an embrace and whispered in Tommy's ear.

"What about the guys?" Tommy whispered back, pulling me closer.

"We'll drop them off. They should be out by 4 or so." I knew from past tours that they always said they stayed up all night, but they were bigger babies than they let on. Speed still slept with his blankie from when he was 4, Wally was afraid of the dark and had to have lights on before he could fall asleep, and Kyle needed to be tucked in tightly, since he moved around in his sleep and usually ended up on the floor. Since none of the guys would do it, but enjoyed embarrassing him about it, I always ended up having to.

Tommy slowly withdrew himself from my embrace, and although I felt the loss of his presence immediately, I also knew that he'd make up for it after we got back.

We drove back to Sadie's as fast as we could, then lingered around until SME started jamming. Once they got into their music, there was no way they would realize Tommy and I were missing. I walked over to Tommy, who was at the soundboard, and pulled him toward the door. He glanced back, shaking his head and smiling as SME started dancing around to their music and yelling at the tops of their lungs.

We quickly left in Tommy's Viper, then got to the hospital soon after.

We got to Kwest's floor, and asked a nurse who was passing by, "Can we go see Kwest Barnes?" (AN: Is this Kwest's last name, or is it something else?)

"Just a minute," The nurse replied. She strode over to her desk, then pulled out a clipboard. "Please sign in here, and I'll give you the room number shortly as soon as I pull it up on the computer."

After a few minutes during which Tommy and I couldn't sit still at all, the nurse came over. "OK, he's in the recovery room. You can both go on in."

I took Tommy's hand gently, knowing he'd need a lot of support at seeing his best friend lying in a hospital bed.

We walked in, and saw Sadie sitting there, her face expressionless. This scared me, since Sadie's one of the most emotional people I know. Kwest was lying there, his eyes closed, and they weren't holding hands. Was he sleeping?

Sadie broke the silence, as she noticed us there after about a minute.

"Hey, Jude," she said. I saw her tear-streaked face and hugged her, wishing I could give her the strength to keep going.

"Sadie, is everything OK?" I said, as Tommy watched us.

"Fine," Sadie said, pulling away abruptly. She didn't seem fine to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. Kwest's going to be OK, don't worry," Sadie tried to reassure me that everything would turn out for the better, but I wasn't sure who needed reassurance more…me or her.

"I'll leave you 3 alone," Sadie said, getting up and walking to the door.

"Thanks, Sadie," Tommy said, giving her a look. Something was definitely going on, but

I thought nothing of it.

"Kwest, man, are you awake?" Tommy said softly, after Sadie had left.

No response.

"Kwest, it's us," I said, shaking him gently.

Kwest's eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment for his eyes to focus, then his gaze settled on ours.

"Tommy, Jude, where am I?" Kwest said, obviously disoriented.

AN: So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? Let me know by reviewing. I'll get back to Sadie in a couple of chapters, but I need a few suggestions. I have a vague idea of where I want to take this, and I want to know if youthink the same way. So please review. Thanks for reading!


	20. Chapter 20

AN: OMG! I'm absolutely stunned! You guys are the best for giving me double-digit reviews! I was expecting maybe 5 reviews if I was lucky, but 12? I was so not expecting that! But I'm really, really, reallyhappy right now. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! OK, now that I've stopped jumping up and down screaming at the top of my lungs in pure, unadulterated happiness, and having everyone in my house rush into my room to shush me and give me lectures on how not to disturb them,on to the special ANS:

Rachel: You rock! Thanks for your compliment!

cecapo3610: I hope you like the direction I've decided to go in, even though I'm expecting everyone to chew me out for what I'm about to do. So please don't sue me, I can't afford all the legal fees :o)!

Petra: Awesome suggestions as always. I had thought about exploring the idea where Kwest loses his memory, but that wouldn't be very realistic. Then again, I don't think what I'm about to write is that realistic either, but I want to see what you think of it.

biminigirl15, I think you're right. Let me know if what I wrote is what you had in mind.

tommysmy21: You're too kind. And about Kwest's last name, that's kinda what I figured (that it was never mentioned), but I wanted to make sure. So thanks for letting me know.

qc rocker gal 13: Just out of curiosity, are you a Juderman fan? Or just a Speed fan? I'm asking, because Speed says "DUDE!" a lot.

hotpinkx: Thank you for your kind words. Is there anything you'd like to see happen?

alexzfan01: I'm really happy that you like my fanfic. Thanks for reading and reviewing it!

Criminal Insanity: I have to admit, I was like "Huh?" when I read your review. Then I remembered how I'd written that Speed still slept with his blankie, and that he didn't want anyone to know about it. I guess it's because of my super-short attention span, which is interesting because I can spend hours just trying to come up with something for you all to read :o)! lol

Ally, your wish is my command. Although I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't like it, since I'm going to see how far I can stretch the characters.

Shannon, thanks for the idea. I was originally going to have Kwest lose his memory temporarily, but then I decided to do something else (since I thought that Kwest losing his memory after having heart trouble isn't a common occurrence – at least I don't think it is). Plus what I'm about to do, I don't think anyone's ever tried, so maybe it'll work, but maybe it won't. Let me know what you think, OK?

xtaintedxlovex16, I also wish I could find a crate full of gems and priceless jewels. But I'm as broke as Jude will be if Darius decides to drop her from his label because of the pictures and her getting drunk, not to mention Sadie going on a wild shopping spree and spending most of Jude's money, plus Jude's house getting sold and her having to stay in the apartment. I can't wait for Season 3 to find out how it all unfolds (which I'm sure everyone else is dying to find out too!). And thanks for your comments.

OK, maybe I'll stop these if a lot of people review, since it's taking up a lot of space on here that I want to save for fanfic space. Should I keep this section, or should I leave it out? I'm equally split, so you decide. Feel free to email me, or post a reply, or whatever. I love to talk, I mean, email, so I'll be waiting to hear from you, one way or another. So here's my latest chapter. Enjoy!

Previously:

We walked in to Kwest's hospital room, and saw Sadie sitting there, her face expressionless.

"Sadie, is everything OK?" I said.

"Fine," Sadie said. She didn't seem fine to me.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Yeah, don't worry about me. Kwest's going to be OK, don't worry," Sadie tried to reassure me that everything would turn out for the better, but I wasn't sure who needed reassurance more, me or her.

"I'll leave you 3 alone," Sadie said, getting up and walking to the door.

"Kwest, man, are you awake?" Tommy said softly, after Sadie had left.

No response.

"Kwest, it's us," I said, shaking him gently.

Kwest's eyes fluttered open. It took him a moment for his eyes to focus, then his gaze settled on ours.

"Tommy, Jude, where am I?" Kwest said, obviously disoriented.

Chapter 20: Smoke and Mirrors

"Kwest, you're in a hospital," I said, as Kwest looked horrified. I walked over to where they kept his information, and began to read aloud as Tommy came over and looked over my shoulder.

_Dizzy spells…faint heart…needs complete bedrest and silence._

There was more, but I didn't know what all those medical terms meant, much less how to pronounce them.

"So, does it say how long I'll be in here for?" Kwest said, obviously uncomfortable in such a sterile environment.

Tommy quickly scanned the notes, then shook his head. "Maybe I can pull some strings," he said. I knew he was going to flash his Quincy smile on the nurses, and maybe they'd release Kwest earlier than scheduled. He left the room, as Kwest closed his eyes and sank back onto his bed. I let him rest in silence, as I could see there were dark circles under his eyes.

Minutes later, Tommy came barging back in, and announced, "Kwest, man, we're so outta here!"

Kwest opened his eyes again, and I wasn't sure if he'd fallen asleep, or if he was just resting like I thought he was.

"You mean, I can go?" For the first time in days, Kwest looked hopeful.

"Yup," Tommy said, and smiled as Kwest threw back his covers and tried to sit up. I saw his eyes glaze over as a wave of dizziness hit him again, and I grabbed his arm to steady him as Tommy did the same with the other one.

"Come on, Kwest, let's get out of here," I said, taking Kwest's arm and draping it around my shoulder.

"Um, guys, maybe it's not such a good idea for me to go home right now," Kwest interjected.

"What do you mean? I'm sure Sadie's missed you like crazy. Going back home is just what you need," I babbled on, not noticing the almost imperceptible shaking of Kwest's head at Tommy.

"Uh, Jude, maybe Kwest's right. All those guys and Kwest under one roof? Maybe it's better if he stayed at a hotel or something."

"Tommy, come on. Once Kwest gets back home, it'll be as if he'd never left. Right, Kwest?" I turned and looked at Kwest pointedly.

"Jude, what I need right now is some peace and quiet. Don't worry, I'll be as good as new in no time," Kwest said, although there was something in the way he said it that alerted me to the possibility that something was wrong.

I shrugged nonchalantly at him, and said, "OK, but if there's anything you need…"

"I'll let you know," Kwest finished. "T, do you think you and Jude could give me a ride to the nearest hotel?"

"No problem, man," Tommy said. The three of us walked out of there, and made sure Kwest was settled into a hotel room. Tommy promised to bring some stuff over for him later. Then Tommy and I went back to Kwest's and Sadie's place.

It wasn't until later that day that I got the chance to talk to Sadie alone in the kitchen.

"Sadie, you got a minute?" I said, hoping she could fill me in on what happened.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sadie said, looking up from the pile of dishes she was soaking.

"What's going on with you and Kwest?" I asked innocently.

Sadie's lip quivered, and it wasn't long before she broke down.

"Kwest…and I…fought…Liam…Portia…divorce…" Sadie bawled, and I couldn't tell what she was saying anymore.

"What? You and Kwest are getting a divorce?" One of my worst fears had yet to be confirmed.

"Jude, we were there in the hospital bed," Sadie sniffled, "and out of the blue, Kwest says that he needs some time to be away. From this," she spread out her hands, indicating the house, "from me…" She broke down into a fresh wave of sobs, and I sat there, awkwardly patting her shoulder, trying my best to comfort her.

"Sades, what happened? I thought you and Kwest were going to live happily ever after," I said, still trying to piece everything together.

"I don't know. All I know is that Georgia brought Portia in to help with wardrobe and stuff, and she's been spending more and more time with Kwest. And Liam, Georgia's new assistant, since E.J. is way overworked and snaps at everyone who has clashing outfits on, has been trying to get my attention. He's been asking me out, and even though I've told him there's no way in hell that I'd ever go out with him, he can't take no for an answer. Then a few days ago, I found Kwest and Portia alone together in the supply closet, and Kwest's shirt was rumpled, but he insisted that nothing happened. Then I find out that Liam's been sending me roses, and chocolate, and expensive wine, and at first I tried sending it back, only to have him come up to me and try to get me to divorce Kwest and be with him," Sadie wailed. "And on top of all that, Kwest and I are drifting further and further apart. Every time I bring up Portia, he gets more and more upset, saying that he's told me for the zillionth time that there's nothing going on, but that I should be more worried about turning Liam down once and for all. He also said there's something goin around that says we're on the rocks, and that a divorce is imminent. What is he talking about? Why haven't I heard anything about it? Are there rumors that Liam and I are an item? If there are, I want to know who started it, and ram my foot up the person's ass. Jude, what am I going to do? Has Kwest been cheating on me all this time? Is our marriage a joke? I don't know what to do," Sadie wept as if the world were ending for her, and my heart went out to her, as I knew exactly what it felt like to feel as though you found out that the person you loved one day may not love you back the next.

"Sades, I'm sure Kwest has an explanation for these. And don't worry about Liam. Maybe Tommy can do something about it," I said, rubbing her back to calm her down. I glanced at Tommy, and he jumped right in.

"Yeah, he does, and I will," Tommy said adamantly. "If Liam tries anything withyou, I'll make sure he's fired on the spot. As for Portia and Kwest, I can explain. When Portia and I were married, I acted impulsively. I took her for granted, and she went running off to Kwest. Pretty soon, she was spilling her feelings to Kwest, and Kwest took it all in. Then one day, I found Kwest and Portia together kissing, and it was the last straw. Portia and I split, and my friendship with Kwest went downhill fast. Kwest never contacted Portia again, at least not to the best of my knowledge, even though Portia tried repeatedly to talk to him. Since then, we've been able to rebuild our friendship back up again, but it took a long time for me to trust Kwest completely. Now I know for sure that Kwest wouldn't make the same mistake twice. And especially not one as important as this is. You're his world, Sadie. I can't begin to tell you how many times Kwest has told me how lucky he is to have you in his life, how much you mean to him, and how he'd always regret not asking you out sooner."

"So do you think Kwest has a good reason for having these pictures lying around?" I asked Tommy.

"Absolutely, although I can't imagine why he hasn't destroyed them before now."

"I know why," someone said from the doorway.

AN: Who said that? And what'd you think? I know it's on the short side, and definitely not my best work, but this was hard for me to write. So is it good? Is it bad? Love it? Hate it? Let me know by reviewing. So please review. And let me know if you want any more Sadie/Kwest drama. Thanks for reading!


	21. Chapter 21

AN: You guys are the best! I'm gonna keep this one short though, since I've got a splitting headache right now and staring at this screen is not helping at all). I think the heat's causing it (it's been way over 85 and really, really humid). Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed for this chapter (even though I can't thank you enough). OK, on with the story!

Previously:

"Sadie, you got a minute?" I said, hoping she could fill me in on what happened at the hospital.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sadie said.

"What's going on with you and Kwest?" I asked.

Sadie's lip quivered, and it wasn't long before she broke down.

"Kwest…and I…fought…Liam…Portia…divorce…" Sadie bawled, and I couldn't tell what she was saying anymore.

"What? You and Kwest are getting a divorce?" One of my worst fears had yet to be confirmed.

"Jude, we were there in the hospital bed," Sadie sniffled, "and out of the blue, Kwest says that he needs some time to be away. From this," she spread out her hands, indicating the house, "from me…" She broke down into a fresh wave of sobs, and I sat there, awkwardly patting her shoulder, trying my best to comfort her.

"Sades, what happened?" I was still trying to piece everything together.

"I don't know. All I know is that a few days ago, I found Kwest and Portia alone together in the supply closet, and Kwest's shirt was rumpled, but he insisted that nothing happened. Then I find out that Liam's been sending me roses, and chocolate, and expensive wine, and at first I tried sending it back, only to have him come up to me and try to get me to divorce Kwest and be with him," Sadie wailed. "And on top of all that, Kwest and I are drifting further and further apart. Every time I bring up Portia, he gets more and more upset, saying that he's told me for the zillionth time that there's nothing going on, but that I should be more worried about turning Liam down once and for all. He also said there's something goin around that says we're on the rocks, and that a divorce is imminent. What is he talking about? Why haven't I heard anything about it? Are there rumors that Liam and I are an item? Jude, what am I going to do? Has Kwest been cheating on me all this time? Is our marriage a joke? I don't know what to do," Sadie wept as if the world were ending for her, and my heart went out to her.

Just as I was about to say something to calm her fears, I saw Tommy at the door. I motioned for him to come on in, and he walked in and sat down.

"Sadie, what's wrong?" Tommy said, a look of concern on his face. Tommy could be so caring sometimes. I should remember to thank him one of these days.

Sadie just bawled into my shoulder, and I hugged her tightly as I filled Tommy in on everything she'd told me.

"Sadie, don't worry. I won't let Liam anywhere near you. One step, and I'll tell Georgia to fire him. As for Portia, I can explain. When Portia and I were married, I acted impulsively. I took her for granted, and she went running off to Kwest. Pretty soon, she was spilling her feelings to Kwest, and Kwest took it all in. Then one day, I found Kwest and Portia together kissing, and it was the last straw. Portia and I split, and my friendship with Kwest went downhill fast. Kwest never contacted Portia again, at least not to the best of my knowledge, even though Portia tried repeatedly to talk to him. Since then, we've been able to rebuild our friendship back up again, but it took a long time for me to trust Kwest completely. Now I know for sure that Kwest wouldn't make the same mistake twice. And especially not one as important as this is. You're his world, Sadie. I can't begin to tell you how many times Kwest has told me how lucky he is to have you in his life, how much you mean to him, and how he'd always regret not asking you out sooner."

Sadie looked up, her tear-stained face awash with hope. "You really think so?"

"Of course," Tommy said firmly.

"Then why would he keep these pictures?" Sadie said, looking sad again. "Why wouldn't he have destroyed them before now?"

"I don't know," Tommy replied, shaking his head as if to emphasize his point.

"I know why," someone said from the doorway.

Chapter 21: Breakups…

The three of us looked up, our mouths agape as we struggled to form a coherent thought. Tommy was the first to recover.

"Kwest, man, sit down before you collapse," Tommy said, quickly getting up out of his seat and going over to him. He helped Kwest settle down, then smiled as I got up. He sat down, and I sat in his lap.

"So, what can you tell us about these pictures?" Sadie said, her eyes filling up with tears again.

"Sadie, maybe now's not a good time to get into that," Kwest replied, but Tommy and I caught on right away.

"Kwest, Sadie, uh, I just remembered. Georgia wants me to come up with a new song by tomorrow, and I haven't even started. Tommy, come on, I need your help," Jude said, grabbing Tommy's hand and pulling him towards the door.

"Jude, wait!" Sadie cried, just as I shut the door behind me. I guess Sadie had wanted some moral support, but since Kwest definitely didn't think this was something that Tommy and I should stick around to watch, I left before she could say anything.

"Do you know how much I love you right now?" Tommy said, pulling me into his embrace.

"No, I have no idea. Why don't you show me?" I smiled seductively, as I let Tommy pull me up to his room.

As soon as we got up there, Tommy tackled me and ravaged me like that of a starving man. Starving for love, not food. We could barely get our clothes off before Tommy took possession of my mouth, my breasts, my body.

"Don't you ever get enough?" I gasped, as I finally got rid of my last piece of clothing.

"What do you think?" Tommy looked me up and down, lust and desire evident in his gaze. I felt myself heat up just looking at his appreciative gaze, and then his mouth crashed down on mine. Pretty soon, I lost all rational thought, and lost myself in his thrusts.

After we had spent ourselves for the better part of an hour, we lay together, my head on Tommy's chest. He removed his arm from under my neck, and said, "Maybe we should go check on Sadie and Kwest."

"I'm sure they're fine," I said, not wanting to move.

"Jude!" Tommy said, shocked.

"OK, OK. I know, Sadie's my sister and I should be more supportive." We untangled ourselves from one another's embrace, and left the sheets as tangled as we were minutes ago.

We walked over to Kwest and Sadie's room, hand-in-hand. I released Tommy's hand, just in case they were still not in the mood to reconcile just yet. Our obvious love for one another might just be too much for them to stand right now, considering everything that had happened.

"Kwest, man, you in there?" Tommy called out, as he knocked politely.

There was some movement inside, then Kwest opened the door. "Hey guys," he said. He looked terrible.

"Hey Kwest," I said, scanning the room. "Where's Sadie?"

"She went out for a while," Kwest said. He looked tired.

"Want to talk about it?" Tommy said.

"All I said was that maybe having an invalid for a husband isn't good enough for Sadie right now. I told her maybe she should be with someone who isn't in and out of the hospital all the time. Someone who's healthy, and can keep up with her. Do you know how much that hurt me to say it?" Kwest said, tears starting to fill his eyes.

"What? Kwest, are you breaking up with my sister?" I practically screamed.

"Jude, just calm down. Kwest, man, what's this about?" Tommy said, stepping in front of me before I did anything I was going to regret.

"I'm not good enough for your sister, Jude. Not anymore. I'm always at work, always busy, and your sister deserves better than that. She needs someone to spend time with. How can I do that when I have to be hooked up and monitored all the time just so that I won't collapse again, or my heart won't fail? I can't make Sadie wait until I'm all better. I might never be better again? How can I give Sadie everything she needs, when I can't even be there for her?" Until that point, I'd always seen Kwest as the strong, silent type. I never knew that still waters run deep, sometimes even deeper than others.

Kwest broke down in sobs, as I pulled him in for a hug. "Kwest, don't worry. I just need to talk to Sadie so we can decide how to bring you two together again."

"What for? Liam loves her, and Portia's always trying to get me alone," Kwest looked completely miserable, as if he'd lost all hope of ever getting Sadie back.

"I've got it," I said, a plan beginning to form in my head. "Just leave it up to me." The two men looked puzzled, until I told them my plans. They agreed it was worth a shot.

AN: Soooo, what'd you think? Let me know, OK? Please and thank you!


	22. Chapter 22

AN: I've been having writer's block for awhile, which is why I haven't updated. So to make up for it, I wrote a really long chapter. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. You guys are the best!

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, do you think Tommy would've taken off like that? I hope Tommy comes back. He just has to hook up with Jude eventually. But that can't happen if he doesn't come back, or Jude doesn't go after him. If they don't hook up soon, I'll yell, scream, curse, throw things, wallow in my misery, fall into an un-Jommy-filled depression, and die. But I'm sure most of us would too.

Previously:

"Kwest, man, you in there?" Tommy called out, as he knocked politely.

There was some movement inside, then Kwest opened the door. "Hey guys," he said. He looked terrible.

"Hey Kwest," I said, scanning the room. "Where's Sadie?"

"She went out for a while," Kwest said. He looked tired.

"Want to talk about it?" Tommy said.

"I'm not good enough for your sister, Jude. Not anymore." Kwest broke down in sobs, as I pulled him in for a hug.

"Kwest, don't worry. I've got it," I said, a plan beginning to form in my head. "Just leave it up to me."

Chapter 22: Operation Hookup

I waited until the guys came back, and asked them to help in my plans. Speed and Wally looked horrified at the thought of dressing up in suits, and walked around choking themselves and gagging. Kyle, on the other hand, turned pale and went around moaning, "Noooooooo…."

"Guys, come on, just do it, OK? For me?" I gave Speed my most pointed look, knowing that if I could change his mind, I could change Wally's too. Wally pretty much did everything Speed did. Kyle, on the other hand, would be a lot harder to convince.

Speed was the first to break. "OK, dude. But no one's going to take pictures, right? 'Cuz otherwise, I'm gonna have to shove your camera up your…"

"Dude, that's just gross," Wally interrupted, as Kyle pretended to snap pictures. Speed immediately reacted and jumped on Kyle. Kyle shifted so that Speed tackled Wally instead.

"Dude! Get off me!" Wally said, as Kyle cracked up. Wally glared at Kyle, who was clutching his sides, laughing hard.

"OK, guys, so you're all in, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure, dude," Wally said, still rubbing the arm he'd landed on.

"Kyle, you in?" I said, mentally crossing my fingers.

"Dude, I don't know," Kyle said.

"OK, Kyle, fine. Don't help Sadie and Kwest get back together," Kyle winced at my tone, "watch Sadie be miserable and grumpy. Sure, she'll cry all day, but then she'll cry at night, all night, and when she doesn't get her beauty sleep, she turns into what I like to call the Big Bad Witch. Pretty soon, she'll be so emotional that she'll stop eating, stop sleeping, and start yelling over the littlest things, and snap at you whenever you leave the cords unplugged. I should know, I've had to live with her all my life. Trust me, guys, you so don't want to go there. It's not pretty."

"Yeah, dude, there are plenty of other babes out there. Why do you have to be stuck on her?" Wally said.

"OK, OK, I'm in," Kyle said, although he still looked miserable about his decision.

"Dude, you won't regret this," Speed said, clapping him on the back.

"You'd better be right, dude, or you so owe me," Kyle warned. Speed ignored his threat and laughed.

The 6 of us immediately got to work. I asked Kwest if I could decorate his place, and he said as long as I could get it off, and it didn't leave any marks on the paint, it was fine. He brought out all the materials needed to brighten up the place, and I quickly sent Tommy off with the guys to go shopping, since none of them had any suits. Tommy looked pained, at least until I promised him I'd make it up to him later.

While they were gone, I began making paper hearts with the red construction paper Kwest gave me. I also looked through the kitchen to see if he had any red plastic cups, red napkins, anything that might be used on Valentine's Day (even though it wasn't). I also started baking a heart-shaped cake that I was going to write "I love you" in big bold icing on it.

After a few hours, the guys came back, with Tommy looking really worn out. The guys, on the other hand, were so full of energy that it was hard to miss.

"Mmm, did you miss me?" Tommy perked up as he saw me. He came over and wrapped his arms around me, and gave me a peck on the top of my head.

"You know it," I said, turning around and pulling out the frosting. The cake had been out for a little while, and was now cool enough to frost and ice.

"Dudes! Cake!" Speed saw the cake, and grabbed a fork.

"Guys, it's not for you, it's for Sadie and Kwest," I said, grabbing their forks before they could destroy my beautiful creation. I laughed as they pouted.

"But we're hungry," Speed complained.

"When are you ever not?" Tommy mocked them.

"Tommy, don't. Guys, here, have some of this." I'd made some sandwiches while I was waiting for the cake to bake, and while I was taking a break from making the decorations.

"Dude, you rock!" Speed said, as Kyle and Wally came in, lugging some shopping bags behind them. Their eyes lit up as they saw the sandwiches, and they dropped their bags and charged over to the kitchen table like a bunch of starving elephants.

I'd made a plate stacked high with sandwiches for each of them, and they were instantly devoured in under 10 minutes.

"Thanks, dude, but are there any more?" Kyle said, as his stomach rumbled.

"Uh, no, but you can have this if you want," I opened the refrigerator and pulled out a fruit tray that was still unopened. Sadie was such a health nut.

"No thanks," Kyle wrinkled his nose. "Dudes, let's go get some pizza." He walked out, as Speed and Wally started bellowing what they wanted on their pizza.

"Need any help?" Tommy said, coming over and wrapping his arms around me from behind.

"Yeah, I just need to put these up," I said, as Tommy brought out a ladder. I went up a few steps, and Tommy's hands never broke contact with my legs.

Then we set up the tables, and lit a few candles for a special touch. Tommy put on some romantic music, and the mood was set.

"OK, Kwest will be here any minute, and Sadie's going to be amazed when she sees this," Tommy said, approving my work.

"Now, there's one last thing we need to do," I told Tommy.

"What's that?" Tommy looked confused.

"Disappear. Come on!" I grabbed Tommy's hand and pulled him upstairs.

Minutes later, we heard the sound of a key in the lock. Sadie came in, and her mouth opened in surprise as she saw what we'd done with the place. "Kwest? Jude? Is anyone here?"

I started giggling, and Tommy covered my mouth with his hand as he also struggled not to laugh. We heard Sadie walk around downstairs, then the sound of the door opening again.

"Sadie?" Kwest said, as he saw her in the kitchen.

"Kwest, what are you doing home so early?" Sadie was shocked to see him.

"I had the evening off. What about you? I thought Liam wanted you to work late." Kwest looked accusingly at Sadie, but she ignored his question.

"I took off before anyone noticed," Sadie shrugged. "Kwest, did you do this?"

"Uh, yeah. I wanted you to have a nice dinner. You know, since you've been working hard lately," Kwest lied.

"Thanks, Kwest. That's really nice of you," Sadie said. "I'm just going to go up and take a shower, change, and I'll be right back down, OK?"

"OK, I think I'll do that too," Kwest said. The two of them went upstairs, and Sadie immediately came to my room.

"Jude, I need your help, quick!" Sadie looked frantic. I feigned innocence and said, "Hey Sades. What's going on?"

"Kwest made this really nice dinner for me, and I don't have anything to wear." Sadie looked like she was on the verge of a fashion meltdown.

"Hmm, am I dreaming? Is Ms. Fashion herself asking for help from Ms. Fashion Don't?" I teased, using one of Sadie's favorite nicknames for me when we were growing up.

"Shut up, just help me, OK?" Sadie begged.

"On one condition," I said, trying to take advantage of the situation. This usually didn't happen, as Sadie loved being in control of everything and everyone.

"What?" Sadie scowled, knowing I'd make it a good one.

"I want you to get me an appointment with that nice French hairdresser you always brag about," I smiled as Sadie paled.

"What? No way, Jude, I won't let my favorite hairdresser see what kind of sister I have to live with. Anyway, he'd probably never let me in his salon again, seeing as your hair would look better tied up in knots," Sadie said.

"OK, since you put it that way, you're on your own," I started walking away slowly, knowing she'd come running after me to help her.

"Jude, wait, I'm just joking, OK? You know, a big sister can joke with her little sister from time to time. And that's exactly what I'm doing, just joking with you," Sadie tried to look convincing, and she nailed it.

"OK, so you're joking. Do we have a deal?" My year at G Major taught me how to drive a hard bargain.

Sadie pouted for a moment, then put on a brave face. "Fine, I'll take you. Now, come on!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me upstairs.

Meanwhile, Kwest was begging Tommy for help.

"Man, how do you get your hair to behave?" Kwest looked envious.

"It's all in the genes, man," Tommy said proudly, smiling as Kwest applied gel for the umpteenth time to make his hair stay.

"That look ain't working for you man," Tommy remarked. He laughed as Kwest groaned and tossed a bottle of cologne at him. "Let me see what you got." He walked over to Kwest's closet, and rummaged through his clothes.

"Man, you need to get out more. These clothes were so 5 years ago," Tommy laughed again, as Kwest scowled at him.

"Are you going to help me or not?" Kwest spat out angrily.

"I'm helping man, you're just not giving me much to work with," Tommy smiled, trying to control his laughter.

"Whatever man, just choose something, alright?" Kwest was getting more upset by the minute.

After a few more minutes of Tommy laughing softly to himself at Kwest's clothes, and Kwest glaring at him in the mirror, Tommy finally chose a nice suit and tie, and some nice slacks.

"Man, you need to get less grandpa-type clothing, and more sporty looking stuff." Tommy burst out laughing, and Kwest stared daggers at him.

"I would, but I don't make enough money to get nice suits like you do." Kwest said.

"Man, I didn't know," Tommy looked apologetic.

"Just forget it," Kwest said, not in the least upset at his best friend.

"Come on, man, Sadie's probably waiting for you downstairs. Don't worry, she'll fall in love with you all over again," Tommy said, trying to change the subject.

"You think?" Kwest said, unsure of himself.

"I know," Tommy insisted. "Just…come on already."

Tommy and Kwest rushed downstairs to find an empty first floor. "Why'd you rush me, man?" Kwest said, just as I cleared my throat from the top of the stairs.

"Ladies and gentlemen, OK, just gentlemen, I will now present…Sadie Harrison," I said. I shoved Sadie in the direction of the stairs, and mouthed, "GO!" to her. She looked a little nervous, which surprised me, because Sadie was always the essence of confidence.

Kwest's eyes bulged as he saw Sadie slowly descend the stairs. Tommy smiled at me, and Sadie, silently giving her approval as she came closer.

"Dinner will be served in the dining room." I motioned for them to follow me, and Speed, Wally, and Kyle froze as they saw us come in.

"Guys? Is that really you?" Kwest started laughing as the three guys stared daggers at him.

"Dude, shut it, before I pelt you with these dinner rolls," Speed warned.

"Ooh, I'm so scared!" Kwest mocked them.

Sadie rolled her eyes and said, "Wow guys. I never thought you'd clean up so well." She blushed as Kyle pulled out her chair for her and seated her. "Thanks, Kyle," she said breathlessly, as Wally poured them something to drink.

"May I take your order?" Speed said, trying to be serious. He held a pen poised over his notepad.

"What do you recommend?" Kwest said, smiling at their antics.

"We have tortiere, which is a pork meat pie, a traditional Quebec favorite. Then we have linguini with mussels. Gross, if you ask me." Tommy shot him a look, as Kwest bit back a laugh.

"Pork? That's pig. I'll have the linguini with mussels, please," Sadie commanded.

"I'll have tortiere," Kwest said, as Sadie gagged at his choice. "What? It's Tommy's favorite, you know. I have to eat it."

"OK, unless you want to come out from Tommy's shadow anytime soon," Sadie retorted. "I don't always do what my best friend does."

"And I don't always do what my girlfriend does," Tommy blurted out. Sadie glared at him, and I whacked him on the shoulder. "I mean, not at first, anyway."

Kwest chuckled, and Speed continued, "Would you like anything to drink while your meals are being prepared?"

"I'll have your finest champagne," Sadie said, and Kwest quickly agreed with her.

As soon as Speed left, Tommy and I went into the kitchen to take out the meals he'd made hours before.

"Ahh, perfect as always," Tommy said, grabbing some oven mitts and opening the oven to take out the meal.

"Jude, can you go bring the champagne out to them?" Tommy said, giving me the look he reserved just for me.

"Sure," I said, taking it out of the ice bucket and grabbing some glasses. "Are you going to be OK in here?"

"I'll live," Tommy said, meaning he'd be OK while I was temporarily away from him.

I went outside to Kwest and Sadie, and tried not to laugh as Kyle scowled, turning on some music for them.

I poured the champagne into their glasses, and saw how Kwest gazed at Sadie with all the love he felt for her, although it was masked with a little twinge of hurt and guilt. Sadie looked back at Kwest, and although she loved him, there was no denying her annoyance with his constant accusations of her relationship with Liam.

I gave Kwest a look, and he sipped a little of his champagne before speaking. "Sadie, may I have this dance?" He held out his hand, and Sadie smiled back before taking it.

We'd set up a dance floor, since I knew Sadie loved to dance. She'd been the star of every recital when she was taking dance lessons all those years ago. Our mantel had been crammed full of Sadie's accomplishments, and I saw that it definitely paid off. Just watching her with Kwest made me feel that much closer to Tommy.

They danced for a little while, Sadie laying her head on Kwest's shoulder, and staring up at him dreamily. Kwest looked down at Sadie, and thought she never looked better. They seemed to lose track of time and place, and only stopped once Speed came back with their meals.

"Madame, here is your linguini with mussels, and sir, here is your tortiere. Would you like some freshly grated parmesan on that?" Speed asked. He can be such a gentleman sometimes, and so 18 at others.

"No thank you. Do you think I want to gain 50 pounds?" Sadie said jokingly. "I wouldn't be able to fit through the door." She and Kwest laughed, and Speed turned a bright red.

The rest of the evening went on smoothly, and I was beginning to see the sparks fly between Kwest and Sadie again. At the end of their meal, Kwest stood up and took Sadie's hand.

"Hey man, Jude," Kwest said. "Sadie and I are going out for some dessert. Don't wait up," He winked as Sadie came up and they went off.

"YES!" I hi-fived Tommy as he'd watched the whole thing. "Tommy, you rock!"

"Not without my girl," Tommy said, kissing me silent. We broke apart only to smile at one another.

"You know what this means, don't you?" I said as seductively as I could.

Tommy looked deeply into my eyes. "What?" he said, in that husky tone of his. It always made me weak in the knees.

"We have the whole place to ourselves," I said, smiling at him.

"You're forgetting three very important things, Jude," Tommy reminded me.

"What are they?" I was completely clueless.

"They go by the names Speed, Kyle, and Wally," Tommy said, slowly pulling away. I hated not being touched by him.

"So, we'll just give them a night off, a really big tip, and they'll disappear. What do you think of that?" I said. I'd do anything to spend a night alone with Tommy.

"I think I made the right choice when I fell in love with you," Tommy said, wrapping his arms around me once again. "Come on Jude, I hear it's going to be cold tonight. Wanna sleep over?"

"Sure," I said, as my lips found his. "You know I can't sleep without you." Our lips never broke apart as we headed up to his room.

AN: So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Tell me! I really wanna know!


	23. Chapter 23

AN: As always, thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. You guys rock! I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't heard by now, so if you don't want to know, just skip down to the chapter below. OK, for those of you still reading, I've heard that during Season 3, Tommy's going to come back (YEA!), there's going to be a new Instant Star named Karma, and she's evil (just like Eden is). The problem? Tommy starts dating Karma, leaving Jude upset (who wouldn't be?), and something happens. But I don't know what yet. Can anyone tell me? I'm also wondering if Jude starts dating someone just to make Tommy jealous. That'd be really interesting to watch.

Thanks to cecapo3610, biminigirl15 (thanks for the info), Chloe, Ally, scott4eva, and Shannon for being my most consistent reviewers. If I've left anyone out, I didn't mean to. And thanks everyone for reading this!

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, Tommy wouldn't have left, and Jude and Tommy would have hooked up on their date.

Chapter 23: The Morning After

Sunlight streamed through the window, beaming straight into my eyes. I groaned as I pulled my pillow over my head. I opened my eyes slowly, until I had adjusted to the brightness of the room. I turned on my side, propping my head up with my hand, and smiled as I saw a familiar mess of tangled red hair, and a young woman lying beside me with the face of an angel.

"Jude, girl, it's time to get up," I gently shook her awake. I was expecting her to sit up and knock me out cold, as was her habit of injuring whoever woke her up, but instead, I kept my distance, just to be on the safe side.

"W-what?" murmured Jude sleepily. She blinked her eyes several times before she could open them completely. She instinctively turned to look in my direction.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. It's time to get up," I said, feeling my heart expand to twice its size at the sight of her. She had major bed-head, but to me, she looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Hey, Tommy," Jude grinned mischievously, right before she reached up and pulled me down to plant a big kiss on my lips.

"Mmm…I could definitely get used to this," I said, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her closer.

We made out for a few minutes, and then we broke apart. Jude grabbed my hand as she dragged me from our bed.

"Wait a minute," Jude's brow furrowed in realization. "Sadie's usually screaming at us to get up by now. Does that mean she's not back yet?"

"There's only one way to find out," I said, as we made our way to her room.

Once we reached their room, I put a finger to my lips, just as Jude's eyes sparkled mischievously.

"Shh, we don't want to wake them," I said, just as Jude flung the door open and yelled, " SADES, WAKE UP!" I groaned as she ran in and jumped on them.

"OW!" Kwest yelled in pain. I guess Jude's been eating too many Pop-Tarts lately.

"Jude, get off!" Sadie grumbled, pushing her off them.

"Sorry guys. I couldn't stop her. Jude, come on, leave them alone," I said, although I wanted to burst out laughing at the sight of them."

"You know, I've been wanting to do that for the longest time," Jude admitted.

"Guess what, princess? You're probably going to pay for it, too," I worried that I'd be held responsible too, but just then, Sadie came up and pulled Jude out from my grasp.

"Jude, got a few minutes?" Sadie gushed, her perkiness taking over. I couldn't believe how awake she could be. I'm not that perky, even when I've had several cups of coffee.

Jude looked back at me and mouthed, "HELP ME!" as she was being dragged away. I was about to rescue her, when Kwest appeared.

"Man, what happened last night? I thought you and Sadie were on the outs," I said, mentally slapping myself for bringing it up again.

"Yeah, well, we talked, and then I took her out for dessert, right? Turns out it was just like one of our first dates, and we ended up having an ice cream fight. Sadie had ice cream splattered all over her face, and I tried to wipe it off. Then, when I was brushing it off with the back of my hand, Sadie grabbed my hand, and looked up at me, and we kissed. It was awesome!" Kwest looked as happy as a little boy with a new puppy. "Then we came back and cleaned up here, and had a laundry fight, then when Sadie ordered me to pick up the clothes, I bent over, and within a few moments, she started helping me, and our foreheads bumped, and she kissed my forehead. I was about to kiss hers, and she moved, and we ended up making out, and you know what happens next."

"So, I take it you guys are OK again?" I said, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Seems like it," Kwest said, a smile plastered on his face. I've never seen him so happy. Then again, you never know what you're missing until it's gone. Luckily for Kwest, he got Sadie back.

"Come on, let's get something to eat," Kwest said, just as his stomach growled.

I laughed and said, "Make sure you get more Pop-Tarts. We're almost out."

Meanwhile…

"Sadie, what is it?" Jude said, not believing how happy her sister looked.

"Kwest and I are back together again!" Sadie squealed, not being able to contain herself.

"Really? That's great!" Jude said, happy that they were together again.

"Yeah, we're going to spend more time together. I know we don't work together at work or anything, but we're going to spend as much time as we can. You know, go out to lunch, or dinner if Kwest needs to stay late, and we both decided to start dating more."

"Yeah? That's awesome!" I said.

"Which leaves me with a huge problem," Sadie said, pausing for dramatic effect.

"What's that?" Jude asked, although she already knew.

"I have nothing to wear!" Sadie moaned, running over to her room and yanking her closet door open. Inside were hundreds of shirts, skirts, slacks, shoes, and dresses, all of various designs and colors. Jude came in moments later.

"See what I mean? I need to go shopping, but I need your help," Sadie said, glancing over at her sister.

"OK, but Sadie, I need to tell you something," Jude said, right before she rushed over to the bathroom.

Minutes later, she walked back outside.

"Jude, are you OK?" Sadie said, concern etched on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just-" Jude rushed back inside and made just in time.

"Jude, are you-?" Sadie followed her sister inside.

"I don't know. I mean, Tommy and I use protection all the time, but maybe…" Jude looked scared.

Sadie held her close, and stroked her hair. "Jude, don't worry, we'll go see a doctor about it, OK? It's probably nothing."

"I hope you're right. I've always wanted kids, but I'm way too young to have any right now. And how are Georgia and Darius going to take it?" Jude worried aloud.

"Don't worry, it'll be OK," Sadie tried reassuring Jude. "I'll go make an appointment right now."

"But we all have to work today," Jude fought the urge to hurl again, and lost.

Sadie held Jude's hair back so it wouldn' t get all messy. "I still have some connections. I'll just call Liam and tell him I won't be in today. He'll be more than happy to cover for all of us."

"OK," Jude said, too tired to think otherwise.

Later…

"Ms. Harrison, we'll need to run some tests. Do you feel up to it?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I'd like to get them over with," Jude said, her face paling at the thought of being in a hospital and having to do some tests.

The doctor laughed. "OK, then, we'll start with a pregnancy test. I usually like to do 3 or four, just to ensure their accuracy."

"OK, will it hurt?" Jude wondered.

"Not so much. You'll feel a little pain, then it'll be over before you know it," the doctor assured her.

"OK," Jude still looked a little doubtful about it.

After the procedure, Jude asked the doctor another question. "How long before we know?"

"We'll have the results pretty soon, and we'll let you know. Is there anything else you might need?" The doctor asked politely.

"No, we'll take care of her. Thank you," I said as I shook the doctor's hand again.

"It's my pleasure," The doctor nodded before leaving the room.

"Whatever happens, we're in this together. If you are, we'll deal with this. I wouldn't leave you alone to handle this by yourself. And if you aren't, we'll keep trying. OK?" I asked Jude, holding her close.

"Thank you, Tommy," Jude looked more relieved now, and hugged me. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jude," I said, as I kissed Jude. Then we went back to Sadie's.

A couple of days later, we got a call from the doctor's office. As soon as we walked in, the doctor was waiting for us.

"Ms. Harrison, Mr. Quincy, I have the results of Jude's pregnancy test." The doctor said, after motioning for us to sit down.

I felt Jude grip my hand tightly, and I looked over at her, giving her all the support and love that I could.

"Jude, you are-"

AN: So, what'd you think? I know. You all think I'm evil. But besides that, what'd you think? I really want to know, so TELL ME! Please! And you can do that by reviewing, so REVIEW! Please and Thank You!


	24. Chapter 24

AN: As always, thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. You guys rock! BTW, I'm going to speed things up a bit in the next chapter, because not much happens between this chapter and the next.

Special ANs: Thanks to cecapo3610, scott4eva, Camsma, Chloe, Ally, LovesRock, and Shannon for reviewing. And thanks everyone for reading this!

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. If I did, Tommy wouldn't have left, and Jude and Tommy would have hooked up on their date.

Chapter 24: Is She or Isn't She?

"Ms. Harrison, we'll need to run some tests. Do you feel up to it?" The doctor asked.

"Yes, I'd like to get them over with," Jude said, her face paling at the thought of being in a hospital and having to do some tests.

The doctor laughed. "OK, then, we'll start with a pregnancy test. I usually like to do 3 or four, just to ensure their accuracy."

"OK, will it hurt?" Jude wondered.

"Not so much. You'll feel a little pain, then it'll be over before you know it," the doctor assured her.

"OK," Jude still looked a little doubtful about it.

After the procedure, Jude asked the doctor another question. "How long before we know?"

"We'll have the results pretty soon, and we'll let you know. Is there anything else you might need?" The doctor asked politely.

"No, we'll take care of her. Thank you," I said as I shook the doctor's hand again.

"It's my pleasure," The doctor nodded before leaving the room.

"Whatever happens, we're in this together. If you are, we'll deal with this. I wouldn't leave you alone to handle this by yourself. And if you aren't, we'll keep trying. OK?" I asked Jude, holding her close.

"Thank you, Tommy," Jude looked more relieved now, and hugged me. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Jude," I said, as I kissed Jude. Then we went back to Sadie's.

A couple of days later, we got a call from the doctor's office. As soon as we walked in, the doctor was waiting for us.

"Ms. Harrison, Mr. Quincy, I have the results of Jude's pregnancy test." The doctor said, after motioning for us to sit down.

I felt Jude grip my hand tightly, and I looked over at her, giving her all the support and love that I could.

"Jude, you are-"

Jude grabbed my hand and squeezed tightly. I knew she wanted this just as much as I did.

"Going to be a mother. Congratulations!" The doctor beamed at us, as I looked over at Jude. Her mouth was open, and she was in shock for a second. Then she started shrieking and jumping up and down and pulling me in for the biggest hug she'd ever given me. She also hugged the doctor, who looked a little embarrassed, but happy anyway.

"If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to call me, anytime. Here's my card. Again, congrats on the baby. I'll be in touch." The doctor left shortly afterwards, and Jude leapt on me and shrieked in my ear, but I didn't care. I was going to be a dad.

Then memories came flooding back of my own childhood, and I promised that my child would have all the love and support that I could give it. But Jude would have first dibs, always. Without her, none of this would be possible. I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Congrats, girl. You're going to be a great mommy. I can tell."

Jude smiled back, and I felt my insides melt at the warmth of her love for me. "And I have this feeling that you're going to be a great daddy."

"Come on, let's go tell everyone at the studio," I said, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice.

"OK," Jude agreed, and we left.

When we got there, the studio was as busy as it always was. We headed straight for Georgia's office, where we saw Georgia swamped with mountains of paperwork.

"Hey Georgia, you got a minute?" I said, poking my head into her office.

"What's it look like?" Georgia muttered, looking uncharacteristically grumpy.

"Just come on, OK? Where's D?" I asked.

"Probably watching the other artists practicing their dance moves." Georgia spat out. She hated doing paperwork, and from the look of it, she had a ton to do.

I walked over to where she was sitting, and grabbed her arm, pulling her up.

"Tommy, I really should finish this," she began weakly, as I smiled.

"There's something Jude and I want to tell everyone, and it's a good time for you to take a break anyway," I said to her, smiling. Georgia didn't resist, and followed me outside.

"Hey D, you got a sec?" I said, not going to take no for an answer.

Darius looked over at me. He hated being bothered, but from the tone in my voice, he knew it was something important.

"What is it?" Darius said, trying to sound disinterested.

"Wait, I gotta get Kwest and Sadie," I said, knowing they'd want to know too. Darius scowled at me and turned his attention back to the artists at work.

"I'll be back," I called out, noting that D completely ignored me.

I found Sadie and Kwest at their usual seats, and brought them back out to where Darius was.

"Attention G Major, Jude and I have an announcement to make," I said loudly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Jude and me.

I took Jude's hand, and looked at her to continue. "Tommy and I are going to have a baby," Jude said, still in shock at the news.

Sadie, Georgia, and E.J., who happened to be nearby, started shrieking excitedly. E.J. screamed about how she had to throw a party on the spot, and started running toward the kitchen. Moments later, she came back with cups, plates, utensils, and napkins, and Sadie left to get a cake from the nearest bakery.

Darius, as collected as ever, came over and congratulated us. "Congratulations, you two. Of course, you'll still be expected to work until you can't anymore. Then when you come back, I expect you to have a few songs written and ready to record."

"You've never had a baby, have you D?" I asked, biting back a laugh.

"Ever hear of a nanny?" Darius smirked.

"Yeah, but I want our child to recognize its parents, not just see it on Christmas and New Year's." I shot back.

"Point taken. Go on, have some cookies," Darius encouraged. Jude instantly made a beeline for the dessert table, which Georgia had temporarily provided some cookies and whatever else she could find in the kitchen. We always kept a large supply of Pop-Tarts, cookies, and other snacks on hand, since Jude had a sweet tooth the size of Canada.

"Jude, slow down. Once the baby comes, you're going to be eating for two," I suggested. I wanted her to be able to fit through the door, but at the rate she was wolfing down those Pop-Tarts…

"You're right. And Sadie's going to remind me that I put on 50 pounds every day until I finally have it."

Kwest, always one to keep his emotions in check, made his way over to us. "Hey Jude, Tommy. Congrats on the baby." Jude hugged him, then I hugged him too. I don't usually hug guys, but Kwest is like the brother I never had. I can always count on him for anything, there's nothing that I wouldn't tell him, and I'd trust him with my life.

About 10 minutes later, Sadie came back with the cake, and as soon as she stepped inside the door, Jude attacked the cake.

"Jude, wait until the candles are lit," Georgia instructed. Jude did so, although she was sullen about it.

E.J. insisted on lighting the candles, and then Eden walked by.

"Congrats on your pregnancy," Eden smiled. I knew something was up. She couldn't be this nice.

"Eden, who invited you?" Jude snapped.

"Darius, of course. I just hope your baby doesn't turn out anything like you. Otherwise we'd be stuck with stupid ballads about sadness, betrayal, and constant whining about how bad life can be. Oh wait, you've got that covered." Eden smirked, then turned around. Jude made a choking sign with her hands, and I pulled them down before she could reach around Eden's neck.

"Jude, don't even think about it," I said, although I knew she was. Jude had already turned and gotten a huge slice of cake.

"Hey Eden," Jude said. Eden turned around, and Jude took her cake and smashed it into her face.

"HOW DARE YOU!" Eden shrieked.

"That's for tripping my sister," Jude paused, "and this is for being such a bitch." She wiped the cake off her face and spread it all over Eden's clothes.

"Darius!" wailed Eden. "Look what Jude just did!"

"Aww, poor baby," Jude mocked. She stopped when she saw Darius turn around and look at Eden.

Jude held her breath, then let it out quickly when Darius started laughing at her.

"Darius, don't just stand there. DO SOMETHING!" Eden commanded. But Darius roared with laughter, not being able to get over the fact that Eden had tried to wipe the cake off, and, in the process, had gotten plenty of it in her hair.

"Oh wait, you forgot the cherry on top," Sadie replied cattily, as she put some whipped cream and a cherry on top of Eden's head. Eden shot her a dirty look, and Sadie looked smug with herself.

"You're gonna pay for that, both of you," Eden vowed.

"Or what?" Kwest walked up, and put his arm around Sadie protectively. I did the same with Jude.

Eden let out a huge screech, then stalked off angrily.

"Don't worry about Eden, she just craves attention," Kwest said matter-of-factly. He was very observant of people and how they acted, and he tended to watch people more than talk to them.

"Yeah, we can handle her. It's her against the four of us." I said, bringing a smile to Jude and Sadie.

"Come on, it's time to get back to work." Jude groaned in exasperation as I pulled her back to the studio. Kwest followed, but only after he'd given Sadie a huge kiss.

Once we got there, Jude slipped on her headphones, Kwest and I assumed our seats at the soundboard, and Jude gave another nearly flawless recording session. Man, I love that girl. She's going to be a great mom. I can just feel it.

AN: So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? I really want to know, so TELL ME! Please! And you can do that by reviewing, so REVIEW! Please and thank you!


	25. Chapter 25

AN: Thank you all for reading! You guys rock!

Special ANs: Thanks to my most consistent reviewers:

Ally, I couldn't wait either. OK, I could, but I was trying to make this a good one. Hope you like it!

LostXLife, I thought it was cute and sweet too! What do you think of this chapter?

Biminigirl15, that's an interesting idea. I don't know if I'll do that in this chapter. You'll just have to read it to find out.

Shannon, thanks so much for showing so much interest in my writing! This one's for you!

Camsma, I completely agree. I always wondered what would happen if you took Tommy + Jude's kids and had SME as babysitters. That would be really funny! I briefly considered making that happen, and, well, you'll just have to read it and find out.

scott4eva, thank you! Your comments make me want to keep going, at least for a little bit longer. I know this has nothing to do with the story, but I always wanted to ask you what kind of music McFly and Deacon Blue play. Oh yeah, and thanks for reviewing all the time. You rock!

cecapo3610, thanks for your review. I thought it was cute too. And I'll try and keep this up for as long as I can.

Chloe, I totally agree with what you wrote about Eden. But I'm thinking about making her play a bigger role in Jude's life. She brings enough drama to Jude just by herself. And who really does like her anyway? LOL

Tanya, that's a great idea! I'll definitely work it into the story somehow. Hope you had a great vacation!

And to everyone who's reading this, I just wanted to say thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for reading! You all rock! blasting Instant Star music and driving my parents crazy ;o)

Does anyone know if there'll be a Season 4 or 5? I'd love to see if Jude's contract gets renewed, and she gets another 3-year contract with G Major, or if Tommy buys the Chrome Cat, changes it into another studio and signs her, and they live happily ever after.

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. Then we wouldn't have to wait another 6 months to see Tommy and Jude hook up (if they even do in Season 3. But I'm thinking they won't for a while…even though I hope I'm wrong.)

Chapter 25: Ambush!

7 months later…

"Tommy, can you get me some cookies?" Jude sat back in her seat and tried to be comfortable, although anyone looking at her would know that her protruding belly made her anything but.

"Sure, Jude," I said, going over to the kitchen and rummaging through the cabinets.

Since the news about her pregnancy had come out, first to Georgia and Darius and all the G Major staff, and later the public, all the attention fell on Jude these days. Shay was even pretty helpful, considering Jude's and his past, and Eden…well, let's just say she was even more ornery than usual. She craved attention, and these days, she had almost no attention except for when one of her released singles was occasionally mentioned. But most of the media's attention was on Jude, and whether she'd be coming back to perform, or whether she'd take a break and raise our child. And if she did choose to take a break, whether she'd eventually come back to write and perform.

I returned with my arms full of cookies and a pitcher of milk and a glass, which I tucked into the crook of my arm.

"Thanks, Tommy," Jude said, her eyes riveted on the cookies. As soon as I set them down, she ripped open the cookies and devoured them hungrily. I quickly poured some milk into her glass, and it wasn't long after she grabbed her glass and slurped it down as fast as she could.

"Easy, girl," I said, moving to pry the glass from her fingers. "You're going to choke."

"Tell that to our child of ours, who happens to be starving. And when it's starving, I'm starving." Jude glared at me. I knew when to back off. Never mess with a woman who's soon to give birth. The bravest man vs. a pregnant woman with violent mood swings and a bottomless appetite on the verge of delivering? I'd put my money on the pregnant woman, guaranteed.

"OK, OK," I held my hands up in surrender. Jude resumed eating and drinking like there was no tomorrow, and I left her in peace.

On the way out, I met Kwest, who was coming in to get a snack for Sadie.

"Kwest, man, don't go in there," I said, grabbing his shirt and stopping him in his tracks.

"Why?" Kwest wondered.

"Jude's in there, and she just cleaned us out on cookies and milk," I informed him.

"Again? That's the fourth time this week, and it's only Tuesday," Kwest complained. "Man, maybe we should switch her to pizzas. That should hold her for a while."

"Don't even go there, man. I'm not gonna have a 500-pound baby, and I'd bet my Viper that Jude wouldn't either." Kwest laughed as he pictured Jude and me trying to feed a massively overweight baby.

I shoved him lightly, and he laughed some more before telling me, "Relax, man, my sister had kids, and I was there for them. I had to take of her when her husband was working. Besides, I know how to keep Jude satisfied." He smiled as he pulled out a secret stash of frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts, Jude's favorite.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," I said, and Kwest shrugged as he walked inside.

Apparently Kwest had experience, because he came out a few minutes later, with chips in hand.

"Did Jude attack you to get your Pop-Tarts?" I asked, laughing as I pictured it happening.

"No, she was a perfect angel," Kwest said. As if on cue, Jude came out, and smiled at Kwest.

"Thanks for everything, Kwest," Jude said. Reaching up, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to me, and said, "I'm ready to record anytime you are."

"Who are you, and what have you done with my Jude?" I teased her, putting my hand to her forehead.

Jude feigned her annoyance, and said, "Tommy, it's me. Here, I'll prove it," and she brought my head down to hers and kissed me soundly. Not just any kiss, but a full-on-the-mouth kiss that left you reeling, tongue and all. Kwest looked away, and joked, "Too much PDA, I'm outta here."

At that, Jude turned to him and said, "That's nothing compared to what I saw when I caught you making out with Sadie."

Kwest looked down, avoiding her gaze, and mumbled, "OK, Jude. I take that back. Pop-Tart?"

Jude's eyes lit up and she completely forgot about Kwest's comment. She ripped the Pop-Tart out of his hand, and crammed it into her mouth. Seconds later, it was gone.

Kwest laughed. "I take that as a yes?"

"OK, enough," I said, hating to be the one to spoil the moment. "Our Instant Star needs to write another hit, so let's go do it." I said, taking Jude's hand.

Kwest looked disgusted, but in a mocking way. I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean," I said, irritated that I spoke before I thought.

"Whatever, man," Kwest said. "Let's get to work then. I'll be there in a little bit. I want to talk to Sadie first."

"Just hurry up, OK?" I teased. Darius and Georgia had given us a relaxed schedule after Jude got back from tour. They let her write more and even relaxed my schedule as well. Maybe it's because they knew how cranky Jude could be when she was really stressed.

Jude and I walked back to the studio, only to be ambushed by Eden.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Ms. Bad Hair Bad Clothes herself," Eden smirked.

"Eden, excuse us," I said politely, biting back a response. Jude and I tried to step around her, but she blocked Jude purposely. Sadie was right. Eden did like to pick fights with people she thought were beneath her.

"Get out of my way, bitch," Eden said.

Jude got up in her face. "Make me."

I stepped between them, "Jude, maybe we should listen to her-"

But Eden interrupted by shoving Jude to the floor.

"You're not worth it," Eden spat out, as Jude hit the floor. She screamed out in pain, and clutched her stomach. "Tommy!" she cried.

My face drained of color as I realized what was happening. I cradled Jude in my arms, as she lay there, tears streaming down her face. I felt something wet and sticky underneath her, and as I moved her slightly, I saw that blood had begun to seep out from under her, and it wasn't long before she lost consciousness.

Eden gave Jude one last look of contempt, then took off running in the other direction. Moments later, people came running.

"What happened?"

"OMG!"

"JUDE!"

"Someone call 911!"

AN: So, what'd you think? Good? Bad? Love it? Hate it? I really want to know, so TELL ME! Please! And you can do that by reviewing, so REVIEW! Please and thank you!


	26. Chapter 26

AN: Thank you all for reading! You guys rock!

Special ANs: Thanks to the following reviewers:

scott4eva, thanks for reviewing all the time. You rock! And btw, that's a great idea. I'll have to look into killing Eden off (lol)!

Ally, because I'm cruel and I love cliffhangers! Especially when they're mine (lol)!

Shannon, there's an idea. Maybe one of these days I'll write about why Eden's so mean and nasty.

Cecapo3610, I was actually undecided about what to do with the baby and Jude's condition. So, I decided just to write and see what happened.

And to everyone else who's reading, I just wanted to thank you so much for sticking with it this far. You guys are the best! blasts Instant Star music and driving my parents crazy ;o)!

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. Then we wouldn't have to wait another 6 months to see Tommy and Jude hook up (if they even do in Season 3. But I'm thinking they won't for a while…even though I hope I'm wrong.)

Chapter 26: Wishing and Waiting

Minutes passed, and finally the ambulance got there. I'd tried to make Jude stop bleeding by pressing a cloth to her, but by the time the EMTs came, she'd lost a lot of blood.

"Sir, would you like to ride to the hospital with us?" one of the EMTs asked, as he and the other EMT put Jude on a stretcher and moved her up to the back of the ambulance.

I nodded numbly, as Sadie and Kwest came over.

"My sister-" Sadie cried, as Kwest tried to comfort her. The EMT looked over at the other one, who shrugged and moved over to make room for them.

The siren began blaring even before the doors were securely shut, and the ambulance sped off down the road.

I paid no attention to the driver talking over the radio. I held Jude's hand tightly, willing her to be OK. She just had to be. I'd never told her how I really felt until that very moment, when I thought I could lose her forever.

Sadie held Jude's other hand, and was crying uncontrollably, clutching it as if her life depended on it. Kwest looked grim, and rubbed Sadie's back as if to say, I'm here for you too, Jude.

We got to the nearest hospital minutes later, and were immediately rushed to the ER. The doctors wouldn't let Kwest or me go in, but Sadie was given a hospital gown and led into the room where Jude would be revived.

About half an hour later, the doctor came out. He looked weary and had blood on his robe, but other than that looked surprisingly calm.

Kwest and I jumped up, as Sadie came outside.

"Jude's gonna be just fine," the doctor said, smiling. "But she'll need a lot of rest over the next few days."

"And the baby?" Kwest asked, before I could bring it up. I looked over at him gratefully.

"Is just fine. Should be coming in about 2 months as planned." The doctor nodded and smiled again "You can all see her in the recovery room if you'd like," he said, before disappearing behind the set of doors separating the waiting room and the room Jude was in.

Kwest and I got up and followed Sadie inside.

When we got to Jude's room, Sadie was already there, talking to Jude and trying to stop crying, although this time, it was tears of relief.

"Don't you ever do that again," Sadie scolded, as Jude nodded seriously.

"Sadie, don't worry. I don't ever want to go through that again." Jude promised. Then her gaze fell on Kwest and me standing in the doorway.

"Kwest, thanks," Jude said, silently thanking Kwest for being there at her time of need.

Kwest looked down, embarrassed by Jude's appreciativeness.

"Guys, would you please excuse us?" Jude said, looking at me pointedly.

"Sure," Kwest said, glad to have an excuse to leave. "Sadie?"

"Fine," Sadie said, brushing away a tear. She leaned over and hugged Jude. "If you need anything, I'll be there ASAP, OK?"

"'K," Jude said, hugging Sadie back. She waited until Kwest and Sadie had left.

"Jude," I breathed, as I walked over and closed the distance between us within a matter of moments. I took her into my arms and held her close.

"I was so scared," I said, finally breaking down, and letting my emotions take over.

"Of what?" Jude said, trying to comfort me.

"Of losing you," I said, tears now falling from my eyes.

"Shh," Jude said, wrapping her arms around me even tighter. "It's going to take a lot more than that to keep me away from you." She stroked my back as I wept openly, and brushed my tears away with her hand.

I couldn't believe it. Here was this young woman, who, when I first met her, was this young, inexperienced girl trying to make it in a world of savvy, cruel record execs who were used to rejecting new artists left and right without so much as a blink of an eye. Since then, she'd become this beautiful young woman, whose persistence and courage made her into what millions of fans had been waiting for. What I'd been waiting for. The kind of woman who stole the spotlight, even if it was already hers to begin with. The kind of woman who never gave up, who never stopped trying. Not on life, music, love, anything.

Finally, I stopped crying, and looked at her. "Jude, I love you so much," I said, making sure she knew just how much I loved her.

"I love you too, Tommy," she said, as she moved closer and kissed me.

We kissed intensely, neither of us holding back what we felt for one another. Then I broke away as a thought popped into my head.

"Jude, as much as I hate to spring this on you, we're gonna have to move out." I said, in all sincerity.

"What? Why?" Jude looked puzzled.

"I think we've more than imposed on Kwest and Sadie, and besides, do you really want SME looking after our child?" I asked.

"You're right," Jude said, after a moment's pause. "I wouldn't want Tommy Jr. to grow up into a Speed, Kyle, or Wally." She laughed lightly, then her laughter faded away.

"So we're moving out. Where to?" Jude looked worried.

"I was thinking in with my family. You could get to know them, and they can help with the baby when we have to work." I suggested. I actually thought about this for a while now, and thought it would be a good idea.

"But then we'd be imposing on your family," Jude pointed out.

My POV: Good point. Damn, she's beautiful and smart. No wonder she's perfect for you.

"They don't mind. Anyways, you haven't gotten to know them that much, and I'd like to spend more time with them, remember?" I gave her my classic little Tommy Q face, the one I knew she couldn't resist.

Jude looked doubtful, but then she caved like a cake in an oven after the door slams. "OK, we'll try it out for a little while, and see how it goes."

"Thank you," I said, hugging her. "You don't know how much this means to me."

Jude smirked, but hugged me back anyway.

Jude's POV: If Tommy's family is anything like Tommy, I'm sure I'll love them. How bad could they possibly be?

AN: Review if you want to. I won't hold it against you if you don't.


	27. Chapter 27

AN: Thank you all for reading! You guys rock! There's one more chapter in this story, but I'll be working on a sequel to this that I'll post when I have the time. It'll be called Life with the Quincys. Check it out, OK?

Special ANs: Thanks to the following reviewers:

biminigirl15, you'll find out right now. I hope you like it as much as I did writing it.

Shannon, you so rock! I'll try to get the Eden thing going if I have time (unless you'd want to write it with me? How would that work, anyway?)

Camsma, I'm all over it. You're going to see just how Tommy's family really is.

scott4eva, those are some really good ideas. I don't know if I can get them all in at once, though it'd be really funny to see.

Ally, you don't have to wait any longer. Just read below, it should answer any questions you have.

Chloe, you never know how they'll turn out. I'm going to go out on a limb here and write Tommy's family differently than anyone else has. I just hope you'll like it.

bunnypook, thanks for all your reviews! They mean so much tear

cecapo3610, thanks for taking me off your favorites list grumble. Just kidding, I know I can't keep up with such great writers out there. I'm just glad people are reading this.

And to everyone else who's reading, I just wanted to thank you so much for sticking with it this far. You're the BEST! (blasts Instant Star music and making my parents go crazy

;o)! )

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. Then we wouldn't have to wait another 6 months to see Tommy and Jude hook up (if they even do in Season 3. But I'm thinking they won't for a while…even though I hope I'm wrong.)

Chapter 27: Last Meal at Sadie's

Jude and I made it back to Sadie's place, and started packing. The guys came back, and noticed we were lugging our suitcases to the front door.

"Dudes, where you goin'?" Speed said.

"We decided to move in with Tommy's family," Jude huffed as she pulled the suitcase out of the room.

"Here, let me," I said, taking Jude's luggage from her. Jude smiled at me in appreciation, as my heartbeat accelerated just looking at her.

"Aww, aren't you her knight in shining platinum?" Kyle cooed, as Jude blushed.

"Dude, shut it," I said. No one would ever tease me, especially not in front of my girl.

"Ooh, I'm shaking in fear," mocked Kyle. Speed punched him, and Kyle yelled, "Dude! What'd you do that for?"

"C'mon," Speed said, motioning for Kyle and Wally to follow him. What was going on?

We finished putting the last of our stuff into my Viper, then went back into the house for a last-minute snack.

"Whoa," I said, as I came back in. The curtains were drawn, there were candles everywhere, and I bit back a laugh as Speed, Wally, and Kyle came out dressed in suits and tie. Kyle was playing an acoustic guitar, and trying to play a romantic song.

"Welcome to our International House of Pop-Tarts," Speed made a mock bow, and Jude couldn't help laughing. "If you'll follow me right this way, please." Jude and I looked at each other and shrugged.

We made our way to the dining room table, where the nicest plates, glasses, and utensils had been taken out and set up for us.

Speed and Wally fought to seat Jude, and almost ended up pulling the chair away from her before she could sit down.

"Here you go, madame," Speed drawled in the worst French accent I've ever heard.

"And monsieur," Wally said, mauling the French term just as badly. I'll have to remember to thank my family for teaching me how to speak French properly.

"If you haven't noticed, we have several excellent choices for you to choose from. We have the original plain Pop-Tarts. Flavors included are apple cinnamon, blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon, chocolate chip, and ctrawberry. We also have frosted Pop-Tarts, and flavors for these are blueberry, brown sugar cinnamon, cherry, chocolate fudge, chocolate vanilla crème, grape, raspberry, s'mores, strawberry, wild berry, and wild magic burst. We also have frosted Pop-Tarts in a nice low-fat version, if madame would prefer…" Wally paused, as Speed elbowed him in the side for insinuating that Jude was fat, even though she was only pregnant. "HEY!" Wally said, then remembered he was supposed to be the waiter. "Excusez moi, madame. As I was saying, flavors for these are brown sugar cinnamon, chocolate fudge, and strawberry. We also have Pop-Tarts pastry swirls, which come in apple cinnamon, cheese, cheese & cherry, cinnamon crème, and strawberry. Or, if you would prefer something else, we also have Pop-Tarts Snak Stix, which come in cookies and crème, frosted berry, and frosted berry. Would you like something to drink with that? We have some nice skim milk…" Speed ignored Wally whispering, "Colored water!" loudly to him, "or 1, or 2, or whole, and we have chocolate milk and strawberry milk as well. Or if you would like, we have Dasani water, Evian water, Arrowhead water, or…"

Jude couldn't help giggling as Speed ranted on and on, and I glanced at her, knowing exactly what she was thinking. "We'll both have the frosted strawberry Pop-Tarts with chocolate milk, please."

"Very well, we'll bring your Pop-Tarts and milk out as soon as they're ready." With that, Speed bowed out of the room, almost knocking Wally down as he was coming out with two glasses of milk. "WATCH IT!" Wally bellowed, just as Speed yelled, "HEY!" then remembered he was being watched. "I mean, excuse me, dude." Speed mumbled back, "Sorry 'bout that, dude." He took the glasses from Wally and set them down on the table. Then they disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Thank you, that was quick," Jude remarked, smiling broadly at them. She stirred the milk around with her straw, then took a sip. "Mmm…that's really good."

I also sipped my milk, thinking, "Wow! I never thought the guys could make anything. This is pretty decent. Just the right amount of sugar, and the right amount of chocolate syrup. Perfect!"

Before long, I heard the sounds of the toaster going off. A moment later, I heard them yelling in the kitchen.

"OW! These are hot!"

"Don't drop 'em! Here, take these funny-looking gloves."

"I can't help it, dude, these are hotter than hot potatos!"

"Wait, these are too big. I can't hold the plate if I wear these!"

"Watch it! The plate's sliding."

Seconds passed, then I heard a loud crash, and then one of them swore. I heard another one say, "Don't worry about it. Just run it under cold water. It'll be clean enough AND it won't be so hot." Then the last one said, "DUDE!" as in, "Great idea!"

Jude covered her eyes, as if she were embarrassed. But she was smiling.

The guys finally trooped out, looking worn out and upset. "Your Pop-Tarts, monsieur and madame." Jude and I pretended as if we hadn't heard anything, but as soon as they left, we burst out laughing.

"Are these safe to eat?" I said, stabbing mine with a fork.

"I think they're OK," Jude looked at them doubtfully. Her stomach rumbled, and she said, "Looks good to me." She picked one up and crammed it in her mouth. After swallowing, she said, "It tastes OK, just a little wet."

"OK," I said, taking a mouthful of milk. Then I bit into the first one. It was OK, but it wouldn't last long, considering the way Jude was wolfing them down.

We finished the rest of the Pop-Tarts in relative silence, with an occasional refilling of our glasses. Then the guys came out, saying that it was on the house, and then they finally broke out of character. They grabbed their guitars, and began strumming and singing.

"Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better.

And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain,  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.  
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool  
By making his world a little colder.

So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,  
You're waiting for someone to perform with.  
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do,  
The movement you need is on your shoulder.

Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her under your skin,  
Then you'll begin to make it  
Better better better better better better, oh.

Na Na Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na, hey Jude..."

Jude laughed as they ended their song. "Dude, don't forget us," Speed said. Wally and Kyle nodded solemnly.

"Guys, I see you every day. How can I forget you 'dudes'?" Jude said, referring to the way they called one another.

"Oh yeah, that's right," Wally said, as Kyle took his hand and slapped him in the forehead with it. "OW!" he yelled.

"What Wally means, Jude, is that we're gonna miss you guys," Speed spoke for the group.

"Yeah, don't be a stranger," Kyle added.

"Guys, this is Sadie's house, remember? I'll visit you all the time," Jude reminded them.

"Oh yeah," Wally repeated again.

I glanced at my watch. If we wanted to make it there as soon as possible, we'd have to leave so that we wouldn't hit traffic.

"Uh, Jude, we gotta go," I said.

Jude looked at me, then at the other guys. She ran out and hugged all of them together, getting a little teary-eyed.

"Bye guys," Jude said. These days, she was even more emotional than usual.

"We'll miss you, Jude," they all said.

"Now go on, get outta here," Speed said, waving her off.

Jude smiled at them, then took my hand, as we walked outside and drove off, leaving Sadie's house behind us.

AN: OK, there you have it. There's one more chapter to this, and then the sequel, which I have some great ideas for. I decided that Tommy's reunion with his family, and Jude's meeting and getting to know Tommy's family even better would be a new chapter (in my case, a new story) in their lives. So, what'd you think? Please let me know by reviewing.


	28. Chapter 28

AN: Thanks to everyone for reading this fanfic! I've decided this'll be the last chapter, and even though it's super short, I'll be posting a sequel to this in the near future, so don't stop reading, OK? I'm going to co-write it with tommy4eva, who's been so nice to volunteer to write it with me. Tommy4eva, you rock! But you knew that already :o)!

Special ANs:

Thanks to Chloe, Shannon, cecapo3610, bunnypook, scott4eva, Ally, camsma, biminigirl15, Stephanie, Lovesrock, gcrockergal, xtaintedxlovex16, Criminal Insanity, alexzfan01, hotpinkx, Tommys my 21, Petra (I miss your evil laugh), kris10rox, mrsTOMMYQx, Kerilyn, iluvtommyq, Kristine, IheartInstantStar, Katy, catch1star, Annika, and Vanessa for reviewing. If I've forgotten anyone, I'm sorry. It was completely unintentional. Thank you also to everyone who's reading this. I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Disclaimer: (I always forget this part) Of course I don't own Instant Star or any of the characters. But I wish I did. Then we wouldn't have to wait another 6 months to see Tommy and Jude hook up (if they even do in Season 3. But I'm thinking they won't for a while…even though I hope I'm wrong.)

Chapter 28: Goodbyes Don't Always Mean Forever

We drove back to G Major, and parked in the visitor's parking lot. Then Jude dialed Sadie's number.

"Sades, it's me," Jude said. "Can you come outside for a minute? Bring Kwest."

She hung up, then a few minutes later, Sadie came running outside, Kwest right behind her.

"Hey Sadie," I nodded at her. She paused hesitantly, then hugged me.

"Take care of my sister for me, OK?" Sadie whispered in my ear. I murmured, "You know I will." Then she pulled back and said, "Come and visit anytime. You don't even have to call ahead."

I saw she was getting all teary-eyed, then Jude hugged her. That was enough to send Sadie over the edge. She started sobbing uncontrollably, and Jude pulled her in for a big hug. Then Kwest, who'd gotten to know Sadie pretty well, pulled out a bunch of Kleenex from his pocket.

Sadie grabbed it and wiped her eyes, although they didn't stay dry for long. Then she blew her nose, which Jude so nicely described as a foghorn, which made Sadie laugh. Then I said goodbye to Kwest, and he told me to take care of myself. I think I'll leave that to Jude.

After a few minutes, I glanced at my watch, and told them that it was time for us to go.

"Call me when you get there, OK?" Sadie could pass for Jude's mom anytime.

"Yes, Mom," Jude mocked her. Sadie pretended to be upset, but she was smiling anyway. Then she started crying again since we were leaving, and Kwest emptied his pockets but couldn't find any Kleenex.

"Come on, Sadie, they'll be fine," Kwest tried to reassure her.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, THEY? WHAT ABOUT ME?" Sadie bawled. Kwest looked embarrassed, then dragged Sadie back inside, but not before he waved goodbye to us first.

As soon as I'd seated Jude, and gotten in the driver's seat, I asked her, "You OK, girl?"

Jude looked at me and her eyes were sparkling. "Only when I'm with you," she said. I put the car in gear, and she took my hand in hers as we drove back to my place. It was time to meet the family.

AN: OK, that's the end. I hoped you liked it!


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